Bathing waters with excellent water quality in Europe

Bathing water quality has remained high over the period 2010-2025, based on assessments of the two microbiological parameters Escherichia coli (E. coli) and intestinal enterococci. The share of EU bathing waters classified as having ‘excellent’ quality remained within a range of 81-89% for coastal waters and 60-82% for inland waters. These consistently high shares suggest that systematic monitoring and management of bathing sites, together with improvements in wastewater collection and treatment, have contributed to reducing organic pollution and pathogen contamination.

Figure 1. Proportion of coastal and inland bathing waters with excellent quality in the EU-27 between 2010 and 2025

One of the requirements of the Bathing Water Directive (BWD) was to ensure that all bathing waters achieved at least 'sufficient' quality by 2015. In the 2025 bathing season, 96% of bathing waters in the EU met this minimum quality standard, while 85% were classified as 'excellent'.

The highest classification, 'excellent', represents the most stringent standard for bathing water quality, based on the two microbiological parameters monitored: E. coli and intestinal enterococci. Bathing waters classified as excellent provide a high level of health protection for bathers and indicate that key pollution pressures, such as wastewater discharges and agricultural runoff, are being effectively managed, with potential additional benefits for the environment.

In coastal waters, the share of bathing waters with excellent quality increased steadily from 80.6% in 2010 to 88.0% in 2016. Following a slight decline in 2017 (87.4%), it stabilised at 88-89% from 2018 onwards. The share of inland bathing waters with excellent quality increased markedly from 60.3% in 2010 to 82.2% in 2017, before declining slightly and remaining relatively stable at around 78-79% from 2019 onwards (Figure 1).

The EEA's European bathing water quality in 2025 briefing explains that bathing water quality is generally higher in coastal waters than in inland waters. Many of Europe’s inland bathing waters are found in relatively small lakes, ponds and rivers. These water bodies are generally more susceptible to short-term pollution events, often linked to heavy rainfall or droughts, particularly during the summer.

Climate change is expected to increase the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. These events may adversely affect bathing water quality through increased pollution from sewer overflows, flooding and surface runoff, potentially leading to elevated health risks for bathers. Such sources of pollution can be addressed at the local level, on a case-by-case basis, through integrated urban wastewater management plans established under the recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive.

In the long term, the implementation of such plans, together with more stringent requirements for wastewater treatment, as envisaged in the recast UWWTD, may help maintain or further increase the share of bathing waters with excellent quality across Member States.

Figure 2. Proportion of coastal and inland bathing waters with excellent quality in EU-27, Albania and Switzerland, 2025

In 2025, the share of coastal bathing waters with excellent quality was above 90% in nine countries - Cyprus, Lithuania, Slovenia, Greece, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Italy and Portugal. It was between 60-90% in another 11 countries - Malta, Latvia, Germany, Croatia, Romania, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland and Belgium. Lower shares were registered in Finland (55.1%), Estonia (40.0%) and Albania (15.9%) (Figure 2).

The proportion of inland bathing waters with excellent quality was above 90% in eight countries - Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Austria, Finland, Denmark, Luxembourg and Germany. It was between 60-90% in 13 countries - Italy, Lithuania, Switzerland, Sweden, Latvia, Ireland, Czechia, Estonia, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Slovakia and Hungary and between 50-60% in five countries - Slovenia, Portugal, Poland, Croatia and Spain. A lower proportion was registered in Albania (33.3%) (Figure 2).

Overall, 88% of coastal bathing waters were classified as 'excellent' in the EU-27, compared with 78% for inland waters. This difference mainly reflects the greater sensitivity of many inland bathing waters to short-term environmental pressures.

Supporting information

DefinitionMethodology

Before each bathing season, countries identify national bathing waters, define the length of the bathing season for each and establish monitoring protocols for coastal and transitional waters, rivers and lakes. Swimming and spa pools are exempt from the BWD’s requirements. Before and during the bathing season, local and national authorities take samples from bathing waters and analyse them for two types of bacteria - E. coli and intestinal enterococci, which are indicative of pollution from sewage and manure. Based on the levels of bacteria detected, bathing water quality is then classified as either ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘sufficient’ or ‘poor’.

In accordance with the BWD, each Member State must collect and analyse at least four water samples per bathing water — one taken before the bathing season and the other three (at least) during the season, with no more than one month between each sample collection. To define the status of a bathing water in a specific season, four samples from that season and four from each of the three preceding seasons are generally needed. The classification is conducted according to the requirements set out in Annexes I and II of the BWD. The assessment procedure is explained in the Guidelines for the assessment under the Bathing Water Directive.

Once a quality class has been assigned to each bathing water, the indicator is derived for each country and water type (coastal, inland) as the percentage of bathing waters with excellent quality relative to the total number of bathing waters of the same type in that country. At the EU-27 level, the indicator is derived for each water type (coastal, inland) as the percentage of bathing waters with excellent quality relative to the total number of bathing waters of the same type in the EU-27.

The indicator has been calculated using the same database that underlies the European bathing water quality in 2025 briefing. The data are drawn from the 2025 annual reports submitted by EU Member States, Albania and Switzerland. The EEA’s European Topic Centre on Biodiversity and Ecosystems (ETC BE) provided support for the development of the database.

Policy/environmental relevance

The BWD classification scheme aims to provide a meaningful picture of bathing water quality over the long term. The evolution of the share of bathing waters with excellent quality over time provides valuable information on the effectiveness of key European water-related policies and legislation, including the BWD, the Nitrates Directive, the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive and the recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. The indicator also supports the assessment of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, notably Goal 6 ‘Clean water and sanitation’ and Goal 14 ‘Life below water’.

Accuracy and uncertainties

The EU lays down rules on the handling of samples for microbiological analyses, the reference methods for analysis and the methodology for classifying bathing waters, ensuring an accurate and harmonised assessment across the EU. Other European countries reporting under the BWD are also expected to follow the same procedures. Therefore, the indicator can be considered robust and comparable across countries.

With regard to geographical and temporal comparability, a legislative and methodological transitional period occurred between 2008 and 2014 following the implementation of the current BWD (2026/7/EC), which repealed the previous BWD (76/160/EEC). Consequently, the period 2010-2015 should be regarded as transitional in relation to bathing water classification, as methodological changes were introduced from one bathing season to the next. During this period, temporal and geographical comparability may be affected to some extent. After this transition period, comparability can be considered high.

Data sources and providers

Bathing waters with excellent water quality in Europe

Figure 1. Proportion of coastal and inland bathing waters with excellent quality in the EU-27 between 2010 and 2025

Figure 2. Proportion of coastal and inland bathing waters with excellent quality in EU-27, Albania and Switzerland, 2025

Supporting information

Metadata

References and footnotes