Where to swim: the EU countries with the best bathing waters
At home or abroad, Europeans can safely enjoy a swim this summer as 96% of bathing sites meet the EU's minimum quality requirements.
According to a report by the European Environment Agency the bathing water quality improved over the last four decades.
In 2024, over 85% of EU’s bathing waters at almost 22,000 locations across the EU were judged as excellent, while 96% of them met at least the minimum quality requirements. This means that most bathing waters were free from pollutants harmful to human health and the environment.
Some 1.5% of the EU’s bathing waters were of poor quality, and the report indicates that water management measures for those sites were not always adequate or not being effectively implemented.
The countries with the highest number of bathing sites with excellent water quality - 95% or more - were Cyprus (99.2%), Bulgaria (97.9%), Greece (97%), Austria (95.8%) and Croatia (95.2%).
The countries with the lowest number of bathing sites with excellent water quality - 70% or less - were Belgium (69.2%), Hungary (67%), Estonia (61.5%) and Poland (58.1%).
