Bulgaria has ranked among the European Union's top performers for bathing water quality, placing third in the latest annual assessment by the European Environment Agency for the 2025 season. According to the report, 96.9% of the country's monitored bathing sites achieved the highest possible classification of "excellent," putting Bulgaria ahead of several of Europe's best-known seaside destinations, including Italy, Spain and Croatia.
The findings strengthen Bulgaria's position as a summer tourism destination, adding environmental quality to the country's traditional advantages such as competitive prices, accessible beaches and convenient travel distances. Clean bathing water has become an increasingly important factor for travelers, reflecting not only environmental standards but also health, safety and confidence in a destination.
Across the European Union, 96% of monitored bathing sites met at least the minimum quality requirements, while 85% of more than 22,000 inspected locations received the top "excellent" rating. Only 1.5% of all monitored sites were classified as having poor water quality.
Cyprus led the ranking with every monitored bathing site earning the highest rating, followed by Greece with 97.1%. Bulgaria came next with 96.9%, ahead of Austria at 96.5%, Croatia at 94.1%, Denmark at 92.4% and Malta with 90.9%, according to figures also highlighted by Bulgaria's Ministry of Tourism.
