According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), 96% of bathing waters across the European Union meet the necessary quality standards, with 85% rated as “excellent” and only 1.5% considered “poor.” Overall water quality remained stable compared to the previous year.
“Europeans can swim with complete confidence at the vast majority of EU bathing sites that meet water quality standards,” said EU Environment Commissioner Jessica Roswall in the agency’s statement.
Among the 22,000 bathing sites tested in 2024 within the European Union—as well as in Albania and Switzerland—water quality was assessed as “excellent,” “good,” “sufficient,” or “poor,” based on the levels of bacteria detected and pollution sources, mainly from wastewater and livestock farming.
Cyprus ranked at the top, with 99.2% of its bathing waters rated as “excellent.” It was followed by Bulgaria (97.9%), Greece (97%), Austria (95.8%), and Croatia (95.2%).
At the bottom of the list was Albania, with only 16% of bathing sites rated “excellent,” a 25-percentage-point drop from the previous year, and Poland, with 58.1%, showing a slight improvement compared to 2023.
Coastal waters generally performed better than inland waters—such as rivers and lakes—due to more frequent water renewal and better self-cleaning capacity.
Rivers and lakes are more vulnerable than coastal areas to pollution caused by heavy rainfall or summer droughts.
In 2023, 321 bathing sites across the EU were classified as “poor” quality. Compared to the previous year, 67 of these showed improvement.
In areas where bathing waters are classified as “poor,” national authorities are required to ban swimming for the upcoming season, take steps to reduce pollution, and eliminate health risks for swimmers.