Spain · Balearic Islands
Playa de Palma water quality
Is it clean? Generally yes, with a caveat
Playa de Palma's official 2025 rating is Sufficient — meets the minimum EU standard in the latest annual assessment. It's the minimum passing grade, so it's worth checking for posted local advisories before swimming.
11-year classification history
Official EEA classification, one rating per bathing season, 2015–2025 — real data reported by national authorities.
- 2015: Excellent2015
- 2016: Excellent2016
- 2017: Excellent2017
- 2018: Excellent2018
- 2019: Excellent2019
- 2020: Excellent2020
- 2021: Excellent2021
- 2022: Good2022
- 2023: Sufficient2023
- 2024: Sufficient2024
- 2025: Sufficient2025
Sufficient in the most recent season, and 8 of 11 classified years rated Excellent or Good.
- Excellent
- Good
- Sufficient
- Poor
- Not classified
View as table
| Year | Classification |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Excellent |
| 2016 | Excellent |
| 2017 | Excellent |
| 2018 | Excellent |
| 2019 | Excellent |
| 2020 | Excellent |
| 2021 | Excellent |
| 2022 | Good |
| 2023 | Sufficient |
| 2024 | Sufficient |
| 2025 | Sufficient |
- 2015Excellent — the highest official classification under the EU bathing-water assessment.
- 2016Excellent — the highest official classification under the EU bathing-water assessment.
- 2017Excellent — the highest official classification under the EU bathing-water assessment.
- 2018Excellent — the highest official classification under the EU bathing-water assessment.
- 2019Excellent — the highest official classification under the EU bathing-water assessment.
- 2020Excellent — the highest official classification under the EU bathing-water assessment.
- 2021Excellent — the highest official classification under the EU bathing-water assessment.
- 2022Good — meets the EU bathing-water standard in the latest annual assessment.
- 2023Sufficient — meets the minimum EU standard in the latest annual assessment.
- 2024Sufficient — meets the minimum EU standard in the latest annual assessment.
- 2025Sufficient — meets the minimum EU standard in the latest annual assessment.
2026 in-season sample timeline
No individual in-season sample feed has been published for Playa de Palma yet. The official 2025 classification above, from the annual EU Bathing Water report, is the most current rating available for this beach.
How measurement works
Under the EU Bathing Water Directive, national authorities take water samples through the bathing season and test them for two indicator bacteria: intestinal enterococci and E. coli. Higher counts of either indicate a greater risk of contamination from sewage or agricultural runoff.
At the end of each season, the full set of results is reported to the European Environment Agency, which assigns one of four classifications — Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor — based on the statistical spread of the last four seasons' samples, not a single reading. That's why the rating published in spring 2026 covers the 2025 season, and why one bad sample doesn't necessarily change the rating on its own.
Official bathing water profile ↗ · ← Back to the Playa de Palma overview · Sea temperature at Playa de Palma →
Frequently asked questions
Can you safely swim at Playa de Palma?
Technically yes — 2025's official rating is Sufficient, the bottom of the passing range, so it's worth checking posted local advisories before you swim. That applies to the water around Balearic Islands.
How is bathing water quality measured?
National authorities test for two indicator bacteria — intestinal enterococci and E. coli — in water samples taken through the bathing season, then report the full season's results to the European Environment Agency the following spring, which assigns one of four classifications (Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor) under the EU Bathing Water Directive. Some national authorities, including Croatia's IZOR, also publish individual in-season samples ahead of that annual report; that isn't yet available for Playa de Palma.
How often is the water tested?
The annual classification draws on a whole season of sampling (usually 4+ samples, May–September), published just once the following spring. There's no in-season sample feed yet for Playa de Palma, so the annual rating above is the latest available figure.