Lake swimming in Denmark: 2025 water quality
Denmark reported 123 lake bathing waters for the 2025 season. 94.3% were classified Excellent — 1.9 points above the 92.4% for all 1,040 bathing waters in the country — and 0 were Poor. 92 sites have been Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025. Among the 19 countries with at least 30 lake bathing waters, Denmark ranks 3 by Excellent share.
lake bathing waters
Excellent in 2025
Poor in 2025
Season status: Today (6 November 2026) is outside the official bathing season (1 June – 1 September). Official monitoring is tied to the season (a first sample may be taken shortly before it opens), so there are no current official water-quality results now. The next season starts on 1 June 2027.
Find the nearest Excellent lake to you →
Map of lake bathing waters
How lake bathing waters in Denmark rated since 2015
Counts for the sites in today’s 2025 inventory; the Excellent share is calculated over classified sites only.
| Season | Classified | Excellent | Excellent share | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 118 | 116 | 98.3% | 0 |
| 2024 | 118 | 117 | 99.2% | 0 |
| 2023 | 116 | 113 | 97.4% | 0 |
| 2022 | 116 | 114 | 98.3% | 0 |
| 2021 | 113 | 112 | 99.1% | 0 |
| 2020 | 110 | 106 | 96.4% | 1 |
| 2019 | 109 | 104 | 95.4% | 0 |
| 2018 | 106 | 101 | 95.3% | 0 |
| 2017 | 106 | 100 | 94.3% | 0 |
| 2016 | 104 | 99 | 95.2% | 0 |
| 2015 | 101 | 98 | 97% | 0 |
Most consistent Excellent lakes
92 sites were Excellent in all eleven seasons. Ordered by the length of the unbroken Excellent run ending in 2025; the first 60 are shown.
- ÅL PRÆSTESØ 11 seasons
- ARNBORG BADESØ 11 seasons
- AVNSØ 11 seasons
- BADEANSTALTEN (SØBADET) 11 seasons
- BADESØ VED HERNINGVÆRKET 11 seasons
- BIRKE SØ 11 seasons
- BIRKHEDE CAMPING 11 seasons
- BLID SØ 11 seasons
- BØLLING SØ 11 seasons
- BRYRUP SØBAD 11 seasons
- BURESØ, BADEPLADS VEST 11 seasons
- BURESØBADET 11 seasons
- DAVINDE SØ - HAVNEN 11 seasons
- DE SMÅ FISK 11 seasons
- ENGELSHOLM SØ 11 seasons
- ESRUM SØ SYD FOR NØDEBO 11 seasons
- ESRUM SØ, JONSTRUP ESRUMVEJ 11 seasons
- ESRUM SØ, SØRUP SEJLKLUBBEN 11 seasons
- FÅRUP SØ, BADEBROEN 11 seasons
- FØRBY SØ 11 seasons
- FREDERIKSDAL FRIBAD 11 seasons
- FUGLSANG SØ 11 seasons
- FURESØEN KINABUGTENS BADEANLÆG 11 seasons
- FURESØEN, BADEBRO VED HOLTE ROKLUB 11 seasons
- FURESØEN, FISKEBÆK FRILUFTBAD 11 seasons
- FURESØEN, HØJE KLINT 11 seasons
- FURESØEN, PLANTAGEVEJ VED BIRKERØD SEJLKLUB 11 seasons
- FUSSING SØ 11 seasons
- GJESSØ 11 seasons
- GLENSTRUP SØ 11 seasons
- GLENSTRUP SØ - HOLMGAARD 11 seasons
- GRUSGRAVSØ VED DYNDET 11 seasons
- HALD SØ - DOLLERUPVEJ 11 seasons
- HAMPEN SØ, P-PLADS 11 seasons
- HINGE SØ 11 seasons
- HOLMENS CAMPING 11 seasons
- HORNUM SØ 11 seasons
- HUNDSØ 11 seasons
- HVIDSØ, JYSTRUP 11 seasons
- JAUNGYDE 11 seasons
- JELS NEDERSØ 11 seasons
- KARL SØ, VINDBJERGVEJ 11 seasons
- KNUDHULE 11 seasons
- KNUDMOSE SØ 11 seasons
- LL. HARALDSTED SØ 11 seasons
- LUDVIGSLYST 11 seasons
- LYSTLUND SØ 11 seasons
- MADUM SØ 11 seasons
- MAGLESØ, TRAKTØRSTEDET 11 seasons
- MARIBO SØBADEANSTALT 11 seasons
- NÆSSET 11 seasons
- NEDENSKOV SØ, NEDENSKOVVEJ 11 seasons
- NORDLIGE SØNDERSØ 11 seasons
- NORS SØ 11 seasons
- NYSØ, VARDE SDR. PLANTAGE 11 seasons
- ØSTRE SØBAD 11 seasons
- RAVNS ODDE 11 seasons
- RAVNSØ SPEJDERCENTER 11 seasons
- RING SØ, OPHOLDSAREAL 11 seasons
- RØDDING SØ 11 seasons
Lakes rated Poor in 2025
None of the 123 lake bathing waters in Denmark was classified Poor in 2025.
Changes from 2024 to 2025
Improved (0)
None.
Declined (1)
- TEGLGÅRDSSØEN VED CARLSBERGVEJ Excellent → Good
Lake bathing waters by region
| Region | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Denmark | 67 | 92.5% | 0 |
| Zealand | 18 | 94.4% | 0 |
| Capital Region of Denmark | 16 | 93.8% | 0 |
| North Denmark | 11 | 100% | 0 |
| Southern Denmark | 11 | 100% | 0 |
Regions with at least three lake bathing waters; counts include only this water type.
Near which major cities?
Sites within 60 km (straight line) of a major city covered by our city guides:
- Copenhagen 27 lake bathing waters within 60 km
Lakes compared across Europe
| # | Country | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austria | 254 | 96.9% | 1 |
| 2 | Finland | 211 | 95.7% | 0 |
| 3 | Denmark | 123 | 94.3% | 0 |
| 4 | Germany | 1,893 | 91.8% | 3 |
| 5 | Lithuania | 80 | 91.3% | 0 |
| 6 | Czechia | 62 | 90.3% | 0 |
| 7 | Portugal | 49 | 89.8% | 1 |
| 8 | Italy | 673 | 88.4% | 5 |
| 9 | France | 845 | 86.7% | 15 |
| 10 | Switzerland | 135 | 86.7% | 4 |
| 11 | Sweden | 210 | 82.4% | 6 |
| 12 | Estonia | 30 | 80% | 0 |
| 13 | Spain | 109 | 79.8% | 4 |
| 14 | Belgium | 77 | 79.2% | 1 |
| 15 | Netherlands | 587 | 70.5% | 26 |
| 16 | Slovakia | 40 | 70% | 0 |
| 17 | Hungary | 247 | 69.6% | 3 |
| 18 | Croatia | 34 | 67.6% | 0 |
| 19 | Poland | 489 | 60.1% | 5 |
Countries with at least 30 lake bathing waters. Networks differ in size and in how sites are designated, so this is a descriptive comparison, not a safety ranking.
Quick answers
- How many lake bathing waters in Denmark are rated Excellent?
- 116 of 123 (94.3%) in the 2025 EEA classification.
- Which lakes in Denmark have the best long-term record?
- 92 sites were Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025, for example ÅL PRÆSTESØ, ARNBORG BADESØ, AVNSØ. See the full list.
- Can I check current conditions?
- The annual class is not a live status. Current results and bans are published on Badevandet.dk. Each site page on BathingWaterFinder also shows a weather forecast, including heavy-rain warnings.
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