Europe’s bathing waters remain safe
The vast majority of bathing water sites in Europe met the European Union's most stringent “excellent” bathing quality standards in 2023, according to the latest annual bathing water assessment. This represents 85% of Europe’s popular bathing waters. Austria once again performs exceedingly well. 96.9% of Austria’s bathing waters are classified as “excellent”.
Every year, the quality of around 22,000 bathing waters in the EU, Albania and Switzerland is assessed on the basis of the EU Bathing Water Directive. The results are summarized and analysed in the EEA Bathing Water Report. It shows that the number of bathing sites classified as “excellent” has been steadily increasing in Europe since 2006, reaching a peak value of 85% in 2023.
The current report once again confirms the excellent water quality in Austria. Of the 260 bathing sites examined, 99.6% (259 sites) are classified as “excellent” or “good”. 252 sites, or 96.9 percent, even have “excellent bathing water quality”, with six sites rated as “good”. The quality of one site was classified as “sufficient”.
Measured by the proportion of sites classified as “excellent” in relation to the total number of sites examined, Austria is in second place in the EU ranking behind Cyprus with 96.9 percent.
Current information
Current measurements on water quality, visibility and temperature from all Austrian bathing sites can be found on the website of the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES). Detailed information on the individual bathing sites and their use can also be found at the AGES site in form of bathing water profiles. These are compiled by the Environment Agency Austria in cooperation with the federal states, AGES and the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Further information
Bathing water quality in Europe Europa
Bathing water quality in Austria
Interactive mal on the condition of the bathing sites in 2023
