Why Croatia fell in Europe’s sea cleanliness rankings, and why experts say there’s no cause for alarm

20 June 2026 – Croatia dropped from fifth to 12th place in the latest European Environment Agency ranking of bathing waters classified as having excellent quality.

However, experts stress that the decline does not mean the Adriatic Sea has suddenly become more polluted or that water quality has significantly worsened.

Dr Slaven Jozić of the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split has told Jutarnji list that the lower ranking is largely the result of statistical methodology rather than a substantial change in the condition of Croatia’s coastal waters.

The European classification system assesses bathing waters using sampling results collected over four consecutive seasons. As a result, newly added bathing sites cannot receive a final classification until sufficient data have been gathered.

Croatia significantly expanded its monitoring network in 2025, reporting the highest number of new bathing water locations in the European Union.

The latest report shows that 113 Croatian bathing sites remain without a final classification.

Although these sites are included in the total number of monitored locations, they cannot be counted as excellent, good or satisfactory.

This automatically lowers the percentage of officially classified excellent bathing waters, even when sampling results do not indicate pollution.

“The percentage does not fully reflect the actual quality of Croatia’s sea,” Jozić told Jutarnji list, noting that the increase in unclassified sites has had a major impact on the country’s ranking.

He estimates that if only classified bathing sites were included in the calculation, around 96.7 per cent of Croatia’s waters would be rated excellent, placing the country once again among Europe’s top performers.

Experts nevertheless warn that pressures on the coastline should not be overlooked. Growing tourism, increased nautical traffic and limitations in wastewater infrastructure can contribute to localised declines in water quality, particularly after heavy rainfall or during the height of the summer season.

At the same time, the European rankings should not be viewed as a complete measure of marine environmental health. The assessments are based on levels of Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci bacteria, indicators of faecal contamination and potential health risks for swimmers.

They do not measure chemical pollutants, microplastics or the wider condition of marine ecosystems.