Greece’s bathing waters are of “excellent quality”; 2nd in EU

Greece ranks second in the European Union for bathing water quality again in 2026, with 97.1% of its bathing areas classified as “excellent quality.”

The vast majority of bathing waters in Europe met the European Union’s most stringent excellent bathing quality standards in 2025, according to the latest annual bathing water package published on Tuesday.

This represents 85% of Europe’s bathing sites, with 96% of all EU sites monitored meeting the minimum quality standards and only 1.5% rated as “ poor”.

These data also show that the overall quality of bathing waters across Europe has remained stable compared to the previous year.

Greece ranks second in the EU for bathing water quality again this year, with 97.1% of bathing areas classified as “excellent quality”.

Cyprus ranks first with 100%, with both countries in the top European performance category, well above the EU average of 85%. Bulgaria and Austria also record levels above 95%.

According to the report, the quality of coastal waters remains higher than that of inland waters.

The bathing quality of coastal waters is generally better compared to rivers and lakes. In 2025, 88% of coastal bathing waters in the EU were classified as excellent, compared to 78% of inland bathing waters.

Overall bathing water quality in Europe remained stable compared with the previous year, while only 1.5% of areas were classified as poor quality.

Greece is not included among the countries recording significant shares of poor-quality waters, confirming its consistently high ranking in this area.

The excellent quality of Europe’s bathing waters is supported by the sustained impact of EU law. Thanks to the EU’s Bathing Water Directive and other EU water legislation, the quality of Europe’s bathing waters has steadily improved over recent years. This includes improved monitoring and management practices, investment in urban wastewater treatment plants, better wastewater collection, and improved assessment of the cyanobacterial algal blooms that can be harmful for human health and nature.