Which countries have the cleanest drinking water?

Key Takeaways

• Finland and Germany tie for the highest drinking water and sanitation protection score in the EU. Both score a perfect 100 out of 100.
• Germany’s high drinking water score sits alongside a groundwater problem. 32.7% of its groundwater bodies fail to meet EU chemical quality standards.
• Romania ranks last among EU member states. It scores 68.0 out of 100.
• Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania anchor the bottom of the EU’s ranking. Unfinished water infrastructure investment explains the gap.

EU Countries by Sanitation and Drinking Water Protection Score

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Learn something new about Germany every week and make informed decisions with confidence.

Stay tuned!

Learn something new about Germany every week and make informed decisions with confidence.

Germany and Finland Record the Highest Sanitation and Drinking Water in the EU

Germany ties with Finland for the EU’s highest score for drinking water and sanitation protection. Both score 100 out of 100.

Romania sits at the bottom of the same ranking. That is 32 points behind Finland and Germany.

EU countries with the most complete water infrastructure report the fewest health risks from their water supply. Germany’s own top score hides a separate problem.

32.7% of Germany’s groundwater bodies fail to meet the EU’s chemical quality standards. Nitrate and phosphorus pollution from farming drive most of the shortfall.

This groundwater contamination does not appear in Germany’s drinking water score.

Water utilities treat groundwater before it reaches the tap. This removes nitrates, phosphorus, and other contaminants to meet EU drinking water limits.

The contamination itself does not disappear. It adds cost and long-term pressure on the treatment system.

Romania Ranks Last in the EU for Drinking Water and Sanitation Protection

Romania scores 68.0 out of 100. That is the lowest score among the EU’s 27 member states.

Bulgaria (79.0), Lithuania (75.8), and Hungary (73.5) join Romania at the bottom of the list.

Water quality and access in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania improved after these countries joined the EU in the 2000s.

EU funding covered €3.7 billion of drinking water investment in the three countries between 2007 and 2020. This investment funded water treatment plants, pumping stations, and pipeline networks.

Romania still had the lowest rate of connection to public water supply among the three countries. Only 62% of its population had access in 2013.

The three countries still needed a combined €6 billion in investment beyond that EU funding as of a 2017 European Court of Auditors review.

Accession timing alone does not explain the gap.

Malta and Cyprus joined the EU in the same decade. Neither shows the same shortfall:

• Malta: 95.3
• Cyprus: 89.4

Malta and Cyprus score comfortably ahead of Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania. The reason comes down to money. It is not about when they joined the EU.

Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania still needed the €6 billion investment to finish upgrading their water systems. Malta and Cyprus do not carry that gap.