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.
From Ireland to Estonia and Cyprus, 96% of all European sites monitored meet the minimum quality standards and only 1.5% were rated as “poor”.
The bathing quality of coastal waters is generally better compared to rivers and lakes and 88% of coastal bathing waters in the EU were classified as excellent, compared to 78% of inland bathing waters.
The report noted that this reflects the characteristics of many inland waters in central Europe, which are made up of small lakes, ponds and low-flow rivers.
These water bodies are more susceptible to short-term pollution events linked to heavy rainfall or drought, particularly during summer.
