Croatia ranks No.1 for cleanest swimming sea in Europe 

Brbinjšćica Cove on Dugi Otok

BRUSSELS, May 29, 2024 (Hina) – The quality of bathing water in Croatia remains among the highest in Europe, ranking first for coastal bathing waters, according to a report released on Tuesday by the European Commission and the European Environment Agency.

The report, which includes data from last year, shows that the highest proportion of excellent bathing waters can be found in Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, and Austria. 

The report covers 27 EU member states, as well as Albania and Switzerland.

According to the Bathing Water Directive, the quality of bathing waters is assessed based on microbiological data and classified as poor, sufficient, good, or excellent.

Overall, the quality of coastal bathing waters in Europe is better than that of inland waters.

Out of 936 bathing sites tested in Croatia in 2023, 905 (96.7%) were of excellent quality, 22 were of good quality, and 5 were of sufficient quality. None were of poor quality.

Stunning blue sea in Croatia

Focusing solely on coastal bathing sites, Croatia ranks first in Europe, with 886 out of 894 tested waters being of excellent quality, which is 99.1%.

Regarding inland bathing waters, out of 42 tested sites, 19 had excellent quality water (45.2%), 18 were of good quality, and 3 were of sufficient quality.