Lake swimming in Estonia: 2025 water quality
Estonia reported 30 lake bathing waters for the 2025 season. 80% were classified Excellent — 23.1 points above the 56.9% for all 65 bathing waters in the country — and 0 were Poor. 14 sites have been Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025. Among the 19 countries with at least 30 lake bathing waters, Estonia ranks 12 by Excellent share.
lake bathing waters
Excellent in 2025
Poor in 2025
Find the nearest Excellent lake to you →
Map of lake bathing waters
How lake bathing waters in Estonia 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 | 29 | 24 | 82.8% | 0 |
| 2024 | 28 | 26 | 92.9% | 0 |
| 2023 | 28 | 27 | 96.4% | 0 |
| 2022 | 29 | 27 | 93.1% | 0 |
| 2021 | 28 | 26 | 92.9% | 0 |
| 2020 | 28 | 24 | 85.7% | 0 |
| 2019 | 21 | 17 | 81% | 0 |
| 2018 | 21 | 18 | 85.7% | 0 |
| 2017 | 20 | 18 | 90% | 1 |
| 2016 | 21 | 20 | 95.2% | 0 |
| 2015 | 21 | 20 | 95.2% | 0 |
Most consistent Excellent lakes
14 sites were Excellent in all eleven seasons. Ordered by the length of the unbroken Excellent run ending in 2025.
- HARKU RAND 11 seasons
- KAUKSI RAND 11 seasons
- KUBIJA JÄRV 11 seasons
- KUREMAA JÄRV 11 seasons
- MATSIMÄE JÄRV 11 seasons
- NIKERJÄRV 11 seasons
- PÜHAJÄRV 11 seasons
- PURGATSI JÄRV 11 seasons
- RAVA PAISJÄRV 11 seasons
- RIISKA JÄRV 11 seasons
- TAMULA JÄRV 11 seasons
- VÄINJÄRV 11 seasons
- VANAMÕISA JÄRV 11 seasons
- VILJANDI JÄRV 11 seasons
- AIDU TEHISJÄRV 6 seasons
- KLOOGA JÄRV 6 seasons
- NÕO VESKIJÄRV 6 seasons
- SAADJÄRVE KUKULINNA 6 seasons
- SAADJÄRVE TABIVERE 6 seasons
- TARBJA TEHISJÄRV 6 seasons
- VALUOJA JÄRV 6 seasons
- VÄRSKA SANATOORIUM 6 seasons
- KARUJÄRV 5 seasons
- MAARDU JÄRV 5 seasons
Lakes rated Poor in 2025
None of the 30 lake bathing waters in Estonia was classified Poor in 2025.
Changes from 2024 to 2025
Improved (1)
- TÜRI TEHISJÄRV Sufficient → Good
Declined (3)
- PAIDE TEHISJÄRV Excellent → Good
- PÕLVA PAISJÄRV Excellent → Good
- VEREVI JÄRV Good → Sufficient
Near which major cities?
Sites within 60 km (straight line) of a major city covered by our city guides:
- Tallinn 5 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 Estonia are rated Excellent?
- 24 of 30 (80%) in the 2025 EEA classification.
- Which lakes in Estonia have the best long-term record?
- 14 sites were Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025, for example HARKU RAND, KAUKSI RAND, KUBIJA JÄRV. See the full list.
- Can I check current conditions?
- The annual class is not a live status. Current results and bans are published on Bathing sites and water (Terviseamet). Each site page on BathingWaterFinder also shows a weather forecast, including heavy-rain warnings.
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