According to the entity that collects and evaluates water quality data on European beaches, based on information provided by countries, the safety of bathing areas was classified as very high for the 2025 bathing season.

Excellent quality beaches

Of the 682 beaches monitored, 559 were classified as having “excellent” quality, representing 82% of the total.

In addition, 75 beaches (11%) were classified as “good”, 19 (2.8%) as “sufficient”, 12 (1.8%) as “poor”, and 17 (2.5%) were not classified.

Compared to 2024, there has been a slight positive evolution in the absolute number of beaches with "excellent" quality, which increased from 556 to 559, and there was also an increase in beaches classified as "good" (from 73 to 75) and "sufficient" (from 15 to 19).

On the other hand, the number of beaches rated "poor" rose from 9 to 12, while "unclassified" beaches decreased from 20 to 17, according to the European Environment Agency.

Monitoring European beaches

Under the provisions of the Bathing Water Directive, approximately 22,000 bathing waters are monitored in Europe each bathing season.

Monitoring data and other information relating to bathing water management are reported to the European Environment Agency by 29 European countries, which submit reports that are subsequently evaluated for the annual European report.

Bathing waters are classified according to their quality based on microbiological parameters defined in the Bathing Water Directive, namely, the presence of bacteria that indicate pollution.

“From the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, the vast majority of bathing waters in Europe met the strictest EU bathing quality standards by 2025, classified as ‘excellent’, according to the latest annual bathing water package published today,” states the European Environment Agency.

According to the agency, this represents 84.8% of bathing sites in Europe, with 96% of all monitored sites in the EU meeting minimum quality standards and only 1.5% classified as “poor”.

“These data also show that the overall quality of bathing waters across Europe remained stable compared to the previous year,” it concludes.

The countries with the highest percentages of bathing waters rated “excellent” are Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece, all with 95% or more.

In general, the quality of coastal waters is better than that of rivers and lakes.

By 2025, 88% of EU coastal waters were classified as excellent, compared to 78% in inland waters.