A large majority of Europe’s waters are safe to swim in: this is explained in the latest European bathing water assessment for the 2024 bathing season, published on 20 June 2025 and jointly prepared by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Commission.
An interactive map was developed by the EEA, helping users locate well-managed bathing sites across Europe.
The assessment is based on the monitoring of bathing sites across Europe that were reported to the EEA for the 2024 season. This includes sites in all EU Member States, as well as in Albania and Switzerland.
According to the study, over 85% of monitored locations met the European Union’s most stringent “excellent” bathing water quality standards last year, while 96% of all officially identified bathing waters in the EU met the minimum quality standards.
The assessment highlights where swimmers can find well-managed bathing sites and evaluates water suitability for bathing, focusing on monitoring bacteria that can cause potentially serious illnesses.
According to Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy: “Enjoying time at the beach or swimming in lakes and rivers is for many a symbol of holidays and relaxation, as we look forward to the approaching summer. The results published today show that Europeans can confidently bathe in the vast majority of the EU’s bathing sites that meet the EU’s bathing quality standards. I am committed to continuing to work to ensure high-quality water for people and the environment, as part of our EU Water Resilience Strategy.”
In total, over 22,000 bathing water sites across all 27 EU Member States, plus Albania and Switzerland, were assessed. In five countries — Cyprus, Bulgaria, Greece, Austria and Croatia — 95% or more of bathing waters were of excellent quality. Only 1.5% of the EU’s bathing waters were found to be of poor quality.
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.