Spain remains the world leader in Blue Flags: this year, a total of 794 beaches will fly the Blue Flag. This has been announced by ADEAC, the Association for Environmental Education and Consumer, in a press release. It is good news, as Spain is the first country in the world by the number of Blue Flag beaches, with 677; in fact, 15% of the world’s Blue Flag beaches are located in Spain. Therefore, as announced in the headline of this article, in 2026 there will be a total of 794 (44 more than in 2025): 677 for beaches, 111 for marinas and 6 for tourist vessels. Moreover, 14 of them are beaches that are re-entering the list for the first time. A milestone we have been confirming since 2024 and 2025, when Spain already appeared as a leader in Blue Flags.
“Spain had never achieved such excellent results in the Blue Flag program. And, once again, we emphasize that the success is the result of the collaboration of municipal, regional and national entities, marinas, companies, universities, foundations, associations and citizens who demonstrate responsible work to meet the demanding criteria of this program in environmental education, management and information, compliance with current legislation, excellent water quality, accessibility and safety. The foundation for a sustainable future is education. Our lives and our health depend directly on respect, care, the conservation and the restoration of our natural surroundings,” stressed Dr. José Palacios Aguilar, president of ADEAC, in the statement.
The 677 Blue Flags for beaches are spread across 253 municipalities in 13 autonomous communities and two autonomous cities:
- Valencian Community: 151 (+ 9) in 48 municipalities.
- Andalusia: 143 (+ 5) in 48 municipalities.
- Galicia: 118 (+10) in 38 municipalities.
- Catalonia: 101 (=) in 40 municipalities.
- Canary Islands: 52 (+5) in 29 municipalities.
- Balearic Islands: 33 (+ 1) in 15 municipalities.
- Region of Murcia: 33 (+ 4) in 6 municipalities.
- Asturias: 16 (+2) in 9 municipalities.
- Cantabria: 11 (=) in 5 municipalities.
- Extremadura: 8 (+1) in 8 municipalities.
- Melilla: 3 (-1) in 1 municipality.
- Basque Country: 4 (=) in 4 municipalities.
- Ceuta: 2 (=) in 1 municipality.
- Madrid: 1 (=) in 1 municipality
