Of the 652 Portuguese bathing areas (coastal and inland), 577 are of excellent quality (88.5%), 40 of good (6.1%), three of sufficient (0.5%) and two of poor quality (0. 3%), and 4.6% did not receive any classification.

Portugal had, in 2021, 293 more bathing areas classified as excellent quality than in 2000 and 15 more than in 2020.

In Portugal there are 502 coastal areas (77%) and 150 inland areas (23%).

At a European Union level, the report concludes that, in 2021, minimum water quality standards were met in 95.2% of bathing areas.

In Austria, Malta, Croatia, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark and Germany, 90% or more of bathing water meets the "excellent" quality standard.

The assessment, prepared by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in cooperation with the European Commission, is based on the monitoring of 21,859 bathing areas across Europe throughout 2021, covering EU Member States, Albania and Switzerland.