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This briefing provides information on the quality of Europe’s bathing waters and is complemented by a map viewer to help people make informed decisions about where to bathe. It is published in the context of the European Union’s zero pollution action plan and is based on analysis of data reported by EU Member States for the 2021-2024 bathing seasons as required under the Bathing Water Directive (BWD) (EU, 2006).

Key messages

In 2024, over 85% of EU’s bathing waters at almost 22,000 locations were rated excellent, while 96% of them met at least the minimum quality required by the BWD — the same proportion as in the previous year. However, 1.5% of the EU’s bathing waters were of poor quality, indicating that management measures were not always adequate or not being implemented at all.

There is still significant pollution of surface- and groundwater, which is not captured by the assessment under the BWD. This pollution may be further exacerbated by climate change. Improving water resilience for people and for the environment is of paramount importance.

The quality of coastal bathing waters is generally better than that of rivers and lakes. In 2024, around 89% of coastal bathing waters in the EU were classified as excellent, compared with 78% of inland bathing waters.

Green and blue solutions, combined with conventional stormwater and untreated wastewater storage infrastructures, where needed, can benefit bathing water quality in densely populated urban areas.

Most of Europe’s bathing waters are safe

From the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, most of Europe’s bathing waters are of excellent quality for swimming when assessed against the parameters (Escherichia coli [E. coli] and intestinal enterococci) required under the BWD.  

Bathing water quality in Europe has improved markedly in recent decades. This is due to a drastic reduction in organic pollutants and pathogens previously released in untreated or partially treated urban wastewaters. These improvements have come about as a result of the combined effects of:

  • systematic monitoring and management introduced under the BWD;
  • large investments in urban wastewater treatment plants;
  • improvements in wastewater networks.

Thanks to these continued efforts, bathing is now also possible in urban and once heavily polluted waters. This demonstrates how solid and well-implemented policies can make a difference.

The BWD focuses on monitoring E. coli and intestinal enterococci, important indicators of faecal contamination, which poses a risk to human health due to the potential presence of pathogens. In addition, toxic cyanobacterial blooms, although not subject to the quantitative monitoring prescribed by the BWD, frequently result in advice against bathing.

Chemicals are also present in water. Water quality is monitored and assessed under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) (EU, 2000); it covers a broad spectrum of pollutants in surface- and groundwater. These chemical pollutants are not captured by bathing water monitoring even when they exceed legal thresholds set to prevent harm to the environment.

The EEA’s European Topic Centre on Biodiversity and Ecosystems (ETC BE) has supported the development of this briefing and its accompanying products, including country fact sheets, data analysis, the map viewer and underlying database.

Figure 1. Proportion of bathing waters of excellent quality in European countries, 2024

Background

This briefing is published in the context of the EU’s zero pollution action plan. For the 2024 bathing season, it covers 21,848 officially designated bathing waters in the 27 EU Member States (EU-27), 119 in Albania and 160 in Switzerland. It is based on analysis of the data reported by these countries for the 2021-2024 bathing seasons.

While the BWD specifically aims to protect bathers against health risks that can occur while bathing, a much broader package of legislation protects the aquatic environment more generally. This includes:

  • the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (EU, 1991a to be repealed with effect from 1 August 2027);
  • the recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (EU, 2024);
  • the Drinking Water Directive (EU, 2020);
  • the Nitrates Directive (EU, 1991b);
  • the Floods Directive (EU, 2007);
  • the Water Framework Directive;
  • the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) (EU, 2008).

In combination, this legislation aims to reduce point source and diffuse pollution, sets environmental standards for the quality of rivers, lakes, ground, transitional, coastal and marine waters, and protects people against unsafe drinking water and floods.

Within this context, the European Environment Agency (EEA) published its major Europe’s state of water 2024 report (EEA, 2024). The report provides a comprehensive picture of the status of surface- and groundwaters and outlines three overarching challenges facing future European water management:

  • protecting and restoring aquatic ecosystems;
  • achieving the zero-pollution ambition;
  • adapting to water scarcity, drought and flood risks.

Moreover, the European Commission (EC) has published the 7th Implementation Report (EC, 2024a) on the implementation of the WFD and the Floods Directive, based on EU Member States’ third river basin management plans and second flood risk management plans. The EC has also finalised its evaluation of the BWD (EC, 2025a) and the MSFD (EC, 2025b) and is finalising its evaluation of the Nitrates Directive (EC, 2024b). The strengths and weaknesses of the directives are analysed in these documents.

Box 1. Monitoring and assessment of bathing water quality in Europe

EU Member States manage their bathing waters in accordance with the BWD. Before each bathing season, the 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 requirements of the BWD.

If swallowed, polluted water can impact human health, causing stomach upsets and diarrhoea. It can also cause ear, eye and upper respiratory tract infections. Occasionally, more serious infectious diseases can be contracted from polluted water.

Before and during the bathing season, local and national authorities take samples from bathing waters and analyse them for the two types of bacteria (E. coli and intestinal enterococci) that are indicative of pollution from sewage and manure (faecal contamination). 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 (at least) three others during the season — with no more than one month between the collection of each sample.

The BWD classification scheme aims to provide a meaningful picture of bathing water quality over the long term. Generally speaking, 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 needed. The results presented in this briefing are based on data reported by the countries for the 2021-2024 bathing seasons.

This long-term classification is important to allow for proper assessment of the progress achieved through the implementation of certain management measures set out in the BWD and other relevant legislation, in particular the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, the WFD and the Nitrates Directive.

However, the classification under the BWD is based only on the concentration values for E. coli and intestinal enterococci, in line with the objective of protecting human health during bathing. The scope of this classification, therefore, is much narrower than that of the WFD, the aim of which is to verify the chemical and ecological status of surface water bodies in the EU. In other words, an excellent classification under the BWD does not necessarily indicate that the objectives of the WFD are being met. Inversely, good or high status under the WFD does not necessarily indicate sufficient, good or excellent bathing water quality.

Out of the reported 22,127 bathing waters in Europe in 2024, 85% were of excellent quality (Figure 1). In five countries — Cyprus, followed by Bulgaria, Greece, Austria and Croatia — 95% or more of bathing waters were of excellent quality. In Bulgaria, followed by Malta, Luxembourg, Romania and Slovenia, all bathing waters were of at least ‘sufficient’ quality in 2024. On the other hand, less than 70% of bathing waters were of excellent quality in five countries, i.e., in descending order, Belgium, Hungary, Estonia, Poland and Albania (Figure 2).

One of the main requirements of the BWD was to ensure that all bathing waters were of at least ‘sufficient’ quality by 2015. In the 2024 bathing season, this requirement was met by 96% of all EU bathing waters.

Figure 2. Bathing water quality in Europe in the 2024 season for the EU-27 Member States, Albania and Switzerland

Between 2009 and 2024, the share of EU bathing waters of excellent quality remained within the 81-89% range for coastal bathing waters and the 60-82% range for inland bathing waters (Figure 3). Bathing water quality in coastal waters is generally better than that in inland waters. Many of central Europe’s inland bathing waters are found in relatively small lakes, ponds and rivers with a low flow. These inland waters are more susceptible than coastal areas to short-term pollution caused by heavy rains or droughts, especially in the summer.

Figure 3. Coastal and inland bathing water quality in the EU-27, 2009-2024

Box 2. Identified bathing waters in the EU-27

The number of reported EU bathing waters increased between 1990 and 2010. Six EU Member States reported a total of 5,691 bathing waters in the summer of 1990 and 21,813 were reported by 27 EU Member States in 2009. In subsequent years, the number has stabilised between 21,000 to 22,000.

In 2024, the most notable change from the previous year was that the total number of reported EU bathing waters increased by 0.4% (+82 waters) to 21,848. Most of these additions were reported by Poland (+25 waters) and Spain (+20 waters). The remaining 37 sites were distributed across nine other countries.

A significant number of bathing waters listed in the inventory do not have a quality classification; this is due to incomplete sample data sets for these waters. In 2024, the quality of 547 EU bathing waters could not be assessed. Nearly half of these were newly identified bathing waters that did not have sets of samples going far enough back in time to allow an assessment compliant with the BWD requirements for classification.

Some bathing waters are still of poor quality

In 2024, 332 bathing waters in the EU (1.5% of the total) were of poor quality (Figure 3), compared with 1.9% in 2009. While the number of poor-quality waters has stabilised in recent years, problems arise where the water is often affected by short-term pollution. Short-term pollution may occur, for example, during heavy rainfall where sewage treatment plants have insufficient capacity and untreated sewage is released. In four EU countries, in 2024, the quality was poor at 3% or more of bathing waters:

  • Estonia (with a total of 3 waters — 4.6% of all bathing waters in the country — being of poor quality);
  • Sweden (19 — 4.0%);
  • the Netherlands (29 — 3.9%);
  • France (115 — 3.4%).

It is mandatory to assess the sources of pollution in the catchment areas of waters with poor quality and implement integrated water management measures to restore the water quality at least to the minimum status required for bathing. This is part of wider efforts to achieve good status in all EU water bodies as required by the WFD.

In bathing waters where the origins or causes of pollution are site-specific, special studies of pollution sources are needed and better information should be made available to bathers.

Bathing waters classified as poor in a given year must be closed throughout the following bathing season, with measures put in place to reduce pollution and eliminate hazards to bathers’ health.

In 2024, in the EU, 67 out of 321 sites had improved from poor in 2023 to at least sufficient quality, while 215 remained of poor quality. A remaining 39 waters either lost their designation as bathing waters or could not be assessed in line with the BWD. This was either because of measures that affected the quality of the bathing water or because the minimum number of required monitoring samples for assessment was not available.

In addition, bathing waters that are classified as poor for at least five consecutive years need to be subjected either to a permanent bathing prohibition or to a permanent advice against bathing according to the BWD. A total of 58 bathing waters were classified as poor in the EU for the 5-year period from 2019 to 2023: 30 in Italy, 20 in France, two in Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden, and one each in Estonia and Spain. Of these, only five had managed to improve their water quality to at least a sufficient level by 2024.

Of the remaining 53 bathing waters:

  • 13 could not be assessed because an adequate number of samples was not available;
  • 4 were no longer identified as bathing waters;
  • 36 were again classified as poor.

It was reported that bathing prohibition or advice against bathing was in place at two-thirds or more of these bathing waters.

How is my health protected?

Bathing water classification provides a meaningful, long-term picture of the bacteriological quality of bathing waters. This information is not required under other legislation. It indicates how well certain pressures (mainly urban wastewater discharge and animal manure) are being dealt with. As such, it is much more limited than the assessment of the ecological and chemical status of surface waters required by the WFD and of environmental status required by the MSFD. Water pollution is regulated under other EU legislation, in particular the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, the Nitrates Directive and the WFD.

Measures established in the BWD are designed to protect bathers also during short-lived peaks in pollution that acutely affect bathers’ health. The BWD also helps protect against other threats, such as those linked to harmful algal blooms, tarry residues, glass, plastic, rubber and other waste.

To prevent bathers from being exposed to pollution, it is necessary for certain warnings to be issued during the bathing season. Member States are required to inform the public about:

  • bathing prohibitions or advice against bathing;
  • warnings concerning predictions or the actual presence of short-term pollution;
  • the exclusion of bathing waters from the monitoring programme;
  • the nature and expected duration of exceptional circumstances.

Box 3. What is a bathing water profile?

The knowledge framework informing the management of bathing waters builds on a combination of monitoring data and bathing water profiles. Member States are required to establish, review and periodically update bathing water profiles for one or more contiguous bathing waters.

A bathing water profile consists of the following:

  • a description of the geographical, hydrological and physical characteristics of the bathing water and of other surface waters in the corresponding catchment area that could be a source of pollution;
  • identification and assessment of causes of pollution potentially affecting bathing waters and harming bathers' health;
  • an assessment of the potential for proliferation of cyanobacteria;
  • an assessment of the potential for proliferation of macroalgae and/or phytoplankton;
  • the location of the monitoring point representative of the bathing water.

To establish bathing water profiles, relevant data from monitoring and assessments under the WFD are also used, thus widening the picture beyond a limited health-based assessment. If the assessment of causes of pollution indicates that there is a risk of short-term pollution, the following information is also required:

  • the predicted nature, frequency and duration of expected short-term pollution;
  • details of remaining causes of pollution, management measures taken, and the time anticipated for their removal;
  • management measures taken during short-term pollution and the identity and contact details of bodies responsible for such actions.

The bathing water profiles need to be reviewed and, where appropriate, updated based on the bathing water’s quality and according to the following scheme.

  

Classification

  
 

Excellent

Good

Sufficient

Poor

Minimum frequency for review

Only if the class worsens

Every 4 years

Every 3 years

Every 2 years

Evaluation of the BWD

In March 2025, the EC published its first evaluation of the BWD. The evaluation considered the implementation of the BWD since its entry into force until the end of the 2023 bathing season; it also analysed whether the legislation is fit for purpose, whether regulatory burdens have been reduced to a minimum and whether any options could be identified for simplifying the obligations.

The evaluation identifies opportunities for improvement to ensure that bathing water quality is protected consistently across all regions. It also envisages that enhanced monitoring and management practices, together with digital technologies, will be important tools going forward to support the implementation of the BWD.

The evaluation concludes that there is scope for enhancing the levels of both health and environmental protections related to bathing waters, in line with the EU’s zero-pollution and biodiversity ambitions. It also concludes that coherence with other legal frameworks, in particular the WFD, could be further enhanced.

The EC adopted its water resilience strategy on 4 June 2025 (EC, 2025c). This addresses broad water resource management challenges and pursues three key objectives:

  • fix the broken water cycle;
  • build a water-smart economy; and
  • secure clean and affordable water for all.

The strategy also complements the objectives of the BWD by fostering integrated water management approaches that enhance the quality of Europe’s waters.

Bathing in Copenhagen harbour: a success story

The City of Copenhagen has been consistently investing in wastewater management and treatment since the late 1990s. Alongside other clean-up initiatives, this made it possible for a harbour bath to be opened for public in 2002 (Nordregio, 2018).

Figure 4. Bathing site at Kalvebod Bølge in Copenhagen

Francesco Mundo / EEA.

Since then, further measures have been taken. For example, in 2012 the city adopted its ambitious Cloudburst Management Plan (The City of Copenhagen, 2012) with a timeframe of at least 20 years and aimed at decreasing the impacts of flooding from heavy rains. The plan combines different types of solutions:

  • expansion of the sewer network;
  • multifunctional cloudburst tunnels;
  • roads with a double function to lead stormwater towards lakes and the harbour;
  • green and blue infrastructure, e.g. detention areas (parks that turn into lakes during flood events), green roads to detain water in smaller side streets (Climate-ADAPT, 2016).

The implementation of the plan has knock-on benefits for the quality of the bathing water in Copenhagen harbour by minimising the discharge of untreated wastewater responsible for short-term pollution and abnormal conditions.

In synergy with water infrastructure upgrades, investments in information technology solutions have also proved effective in managing bathing water and protecting bathers’ health in Copenhagen. Since 2002, an innovative integrated bathing water forecast system has been in place, as an example of a public-private partnership.

The forecast system is designed to predict the concentration of E. coli and enterococci at certain sites within the city and the harbour based on different types of input data and models. More specifically, meteorological data from forecast suppliers, real-time data on water flow from sensors and data on combined sewer overflows are fed into mathematical models calculating pollutant transport and fate. These models calculate, in sequence, the harbour water inflow, the distribution of pollutants and forecast bacterial concentrations in time and space for the current and the following 3-4 days.

Forecasts are made each day and more frequently during rain events, thus ensuring early identification of pollution threats. The system also includes multimedia platforms to disseminate information to beachgoers and other interested parties such as public websites, which offer up-to-date bathing water quality forecasts, early warnings and notifications via SMS or apps for smartphones. These are used extensively by local bathers.

Figure 5. Badevand App screenshots on a smartphone showing information about bathing water quality at different levels of detail

Please select a resource that has a preview image available.

Box 4. Find your local beach!

Countries maintain national or regional websites with detailed information on bathing water locations. These websites generally include a map-search function and allow users to access monitoring results in real time and for previous seasons.

At the European level, bathing water information is available to the public through the EEA's bathing water web pages. Users can check bathing water quality on an interactive map, make comparisons with previous years and explore more details via links to the corresponding national online bathing water profiles.

1Identifiers2References3Annexes

Identifiers for EEA Briefing 07/2025
Title: European bathing water quality in 2024
HTML: TH-01-25-016-EN-Q - ISBN: 978-92-9480-721-2 - ISSN: 2467-3196 - doi: 10.2800/1875262

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EC, 2025b, Protecting the marine environment – review of EU rules (https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12898-Protecting-the-marine-environment-review-of-EU-rules_en), accessed 6 June 2025

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EU, 2007, Directive 2007/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on the assessment and management of flood risks (OJ L 288, 6.11.2007, pp. 27-34) (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2007/60/oj), accessed 26 May 2025.

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Annex 1. Bathing water quality in 2024

Annex 2. Coastal bathing water quality in 2024

Annex 3. Inland bathing water quality in 2024