Croatia drops in EU bathing water quality rankings

Croatia has fallen significantly in the latest European Union bathing water quality rankings, according to the European Environment Agency’s annual report published this week.

While the country continues to maintain high standards overall, only 86.2% of Croatia’s bathing waters were rated as having “excellent” quality, placing the country 12th among the nations included in the study.

The result marks a notable decline for Croatia, which had consistently ranked among Europe’s top performers in recent years.

Last year, Croatia was fifth in the rankings, while previous reports showed more than 95% of its bathing waters achieving the highest quality classification.

The latest report found that bathing water quality across Europe remains strong and stable.

Around 85% of all monitored bathing sites met the EU’s strictest “excellent” quality standards in 2025, while 96% met at least the minimum quality requirements. Only 1.5% of monitored locations were classified as having poor water quality.

Cyprus topped the European rankings, with 100% of its bathing waters receiving an excellent rating. Greece followed in second place with 97.1% of its 1,734 monitored sites classified as excellent.

Bulgaria ranked third with 96.9%, followed by Austria with 96.5% and Luxembourg with 94.1%.

Among Mediterranean countries, Italy placed eighth with 89.8% of bathing waters rated excellent, Malta ranked ninth with 88.5%, while Spain was 11th with 86.6%.

The findings are based on 22,289 water samples collected during 2025 from bathing sites across EU member states, as well as Albania and Switzerland.

Although Croatia remains above the EU average, the report highlights differences between coastal and inland waters. Croatia ranked 14th for the quality of its coastal bathing waters, while its inland waters were among the lowest-performing in the survey, placing 22nd out of the countries assessed.

Commenting on the findings, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy Jessika Roswall said the results demonstrate the long-term benefits of EU environmental legislation and investment in wastewater treatment and water management.

European Environment Agency Executive Director Leena Ylä-Mononen added that the strong results show how coordinated European action has helped ensure that the vast majority of bathing waters are safe for swimming, while also contributing to greater resilience in the face of climate change.

Despite its drop in the rankings, Croatia continues to maintain a high level of bathing water quality, with more than eight out of ten monitored sites still meeting the EU’s highest standard.