BACKGROUND: Aquatic Literacy (AL) encompasses both drowning prevention and sustainable engagement in aquatic activities by fostering motor, psychosocial, and cognitive competencies in individuals. Recently, the Aquatic Literacy For All Children (ALFAC) test battery was developed to assess children`s AL levels across Europe. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of sex, age, and country on aquatic skills within the motor domain of AL; METHODS: About 2,500 pupils (49% girls), aged 6-12 years, from seven European countries participated in the ALFAC test battery, focusing on nine isolated aquatic tasks (i.e., entry, exit, rotations, breathing, treading water, belly and back propulsion, submersion, and flotation). Generalised linear models were used to analyse the effects of sex, age, and country (p < 0.05), and effect sizes were calculated using *McFadden`s R² and partial eta-squared; RESULTS: The results show significant effects of age and country on all nine isolated tasks, as well as significant age × country interactions for all tasks except water entry. Performance improved with age (6-7 < 8-9 < 10-11-year-olds). Moreover, children in some countries scored lower than their European counterparts, particularly in France (across all tasks), Germany (breathing), Poland (submersion, treading water, flotation, and breathing), and Portugal (all tasks except breathing). No differences were found between girls and boys; CONCLUSIONS: These results provide insights into the skills that need to be developed in certain countries in order to better protect and engage children, in, on and around the water.
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