New research has revealed that the United Kingdom is the third dirtiest country for swimming in Europe, with its beaches showing a 7% decline in cleanliness since 2022. While southern England experienced the wettest September since 1918, prompting a surge in online searches for holidays in Greece, the latest study highlights that Croatian beaches are outperforming Greek ones in terms of water quality.
The study, conducted by Plitvice Lakes Tours, analysed bathing water quality data from the European Environment Agency, Eurostat, and the UK Environment Agency. It examined both coastal and inland bathing waters across Europe, focusing on quality ratings and improvements made in 2023 compared to 2022. According to the study, only 7% of UK beaches now maintain their “excellent” status, putting the country at the bottom of the cleanliness rankings alongside Belgium and Romania.
Despite the decline in quality, Europe boasts an average of 42 beaches for every million residents, with nine out of ten rated as excellent. The research highlights the top ten cleanest bathing waters in Europe, with Croatia leading the way. The country has an impressive 99.1% of its beaches rated as excellent, with 23 such beaches available for every 100,000 residents. Croatia’s inland bathing spots have also seen significant improvements, boasting a 73% increase in quality from the previous year.
Top 10 Cleanest Bathing Waters in Europe
| # | Country | Total number of coastal bathing spots per 100,000 residents | Number of excellent-rated coastal bathing spots in 2023 per 100,000 residents | Total number of inland bathing spots per 100,000 residents | Number of excellent-rated inland bathing spots in 2023 per 100,000 residents | % Increase of excellent-rated coastal bathing spots from 2022 to 2023 | % Increase of excellent-rated inland bathing spots from 2022 to 2023 | Final score (/100) |
| 1 | Croatia | 23.22 | 23.01 | 1.09 | 0.49 | 0.23 | 72.73 | 63.66 |
| 2 | Denmark | 15.54 | 14.59 | 2.09 | 1.98 | 0.35 | -1.68 | 61.51 |
| 3 | Finland | 1.39 | 0.91 | 4.04 | 3.83 | -10.53 | 0.00 | 57.61 |
| 4 | Estonia | 2.20 | 1.02 | 2.56 | 2.12 | 7.69 | 0.00 | 56.91 |
| 5 | Lithuania | 0.56 | 0.49 | 3.67 | 3.29 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 53.93 |
| 6 | Italy | 8.13 | 7.37 | 1.14 | 1.00 | 0.94 | 0.51 | 53.46 |
| 7 | Portugal | 4.84 | 4.45 | 1.50 | 1.02 | 1.30 | 3.88 | 52.72 |
| 8 | Greece | 16.59 | 15.90 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 2.16 | 0.00 | 50.91 |
| 9 | Cyprus | 13.36 | 13.03 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.84 | 0.00 | 48.28 |
| 10 | Malta | 16.05 | 14.76 | 0.00 | 0.00 | -2.44 | 0.00 | 47.54 |
Denmark ranks second for clean bathing spots, with 94% of its coastal areas classified as excellent. It has 15.5 beaches per 100,000 residents, with nearly 14.6 of them rated highly. Finland comes in third, particularly excelling in inland bathing, where 94.7% of its inland spots are deemed excellent, though its coastal offerings are less plentiful.
Greece and Cyprus are also among the top performers, ranking eighth and ninth respectively, with high beach densities of 16.6 and 13.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. Most of these beaches are rated as excellent, reflecting their popularity among British tourists.
In contrast, Belgium has the worst bathing waters in Europe, with only 0.35 beaches per 100,000 residents and a mere 0.23 classified as excellent. Romania follows closely, with just 0.26 coastal spots per 100,000 residents, only 69.4% of which are rated excellent.
The UK’s bathing waters have shown a decline of 7.26% since last year, with only two-thirds of its beaches now rated as excellent. A spokesperson for Plitvice Lakes Tours noted that “the mild October weather across Southern Europe prompts demand for last-minute swims,” urging travellers to consider less-trodden paths in the Baltic and Scandinavian regions. These areas may not offer warm temperatures, but they do provide superior cleanliness standards compared to most European countries, except for Croatia.
Overall, across Europe, while the number of excellent inland bathing spots has improved by 6.83% in 2023, there has been an average decline of 3.25% in coastal quality compared to the previous year. As the summer season winds down, the focus shifts to the cleanliness and safety of swimming locations, underscoring the importance of maintaining high environmental standards for both locals and visitors.