European Bathing Waters: 2025 Quality Assessment

The 2025 Bathing Water Report shows that 96 % of monitored European bathing sites meet EU minimum standards, with only 1.5 % classified as “poor”. Coastal waters perform better than inland waters: 88 % of coastal sites are rated “excellent” versus 78 % of inland sites. Quality is measured by the presence of *E. coli* and intestinal enterococci, key indicators of faecal contamination.

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Best overall: Cyprus (100 % “excellent”), followed by Greece (97.1 %), Bulgaria (96.9 %) and Austria (96.5 %). Austria and Finland also achieve roughly 95 % “excellent” ratings for lakes, rivers and ponds. Denmark (94.3 %), Luxembourg (94.1 %) and Germany (91.5 %) complete the top-five for inland waters.

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Lowest performance: Estonia, the Netherlands and France each record 3 % or more “poor” sites. Albania has the lowest share of “excellent” waters at 16.8 %. Estonia (56.9 %), Poland (58.7 %), Hungary (64.0 %) and Belgium (67.9 %) fall below the 70 % “excellent” threshold. For inland waters alone, Spain is the poorest performer, with >11 % of rivers and lakes “poor” and only 53.1 % “excellent”. Slovenia, Portugal and Croatia also rank low for inland bathing water quality.

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River bathing remains a challenge: only 47 % of roughly 1,200 designated river sites achieve “excellent” status. The report notes that many inland waters consist of small lakes, ponds and low-flow rivers, which are especially vulnerable to short-term pollution from heavy rainfall or drought.

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Rapid urbanisation and legacy pollution from the Industrial Revolution are identified as primary contributors to river degradation. Additional stressors include combined sewer overflows, storm-water runoff, agricultural runoff, and faecal inputs from wildlife and livestock accessing riverbanks. European water policies have nonetheless facilitated gradual recovery in many urban rivers, making safe river bathing possible in several cities.

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The European Environment Agency warns that exposure to polluted bathing water can cause gastrointestinal illnesses, diarrhoea, and ear, eye or upper-respiratory infections. Maintaining high water-quality standards therefore protects public health and supports recreational use of water bodies.

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The European Environment Agency underscores the link between faecal indicator bacteria and health risks, while EU water legislation continues to drive improvements. Ongoing monitoring and targeted mitigation—particularly for riverine sites—remain essential to sustain and enhance bathing-water quality across the continent.

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• “Europe’s beaches, lakes and rivers continue to score highly for water quality, with the vast majority of bathing sites meeting EU requirements, according to the 2025 Bathing Water Report.” — 2025 Bathing Water Report, European Union

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• “The country with the best water quality overall was Cyprus, with 100% of its waters being classified as excellent.” — 2025 Bathing Water Report, European Union

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• “Only 47% of around 1,200 designated river bathing sites across Europe achieved excellent quality in 2025.” — 2025 Bathing Water Report, European Union

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• “The report identified rapid urbanisation and pollution during the Industrial Revolution as the main factors for the degraded water quality in many of Europe’s rivers.” — 2025 Bathing Water Report, European Union

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• “According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), exposure to polluted bathing water can lead to gastrointestinal illnesses such as stomach upsets and diarrhoea, as well as ear, eye and upper respiratory tract infections.” — European Environment Agency, Agency

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