Top 10 countries with the highest water quality: One of the best measures of a nation’s infrastructure, public health, and environmental management is the availability of clean drinking water. Access to clean water is a product of robust systems, stringent regulations, and long-term planning in many developed regions of the world.

A combination of cutting-edge technology and careful resource management is necessary for nations to maintain consistently high water quality rankings. These countries make sure that water is safe at every stage—from source to tap—by employing cutting-edge purification methods and safeguarding natural water sources. One can learn valuable lessons about upholding high standards over time by examining how they accomplish this.

Water quality varies significantly across the globe, largely depending on infrastructure, environmental regulations, and the effectiveness of public health systems. Nations with the cleanest drinking water typically combine strict environmental laws with efficient treatment systems and sustainable practices that protect water resources for the future.

Global rankings often highlight countries like Switzerland and New Zealand, where strong governance, natural advantages, and consistent investment help ensure safe and clean drinking water for citizens. These countries show how prioritising environmental protection and public health can deliver long-term results.

The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is one of the key benchmarks for measuring water quality worldwide. It assesses countries based on environmental health indicators, including access to safe drinking water and sanitation. One important metric used is the number of age-standardised disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost per 100,000 people due to water-related exposure.

In this system, a score of 100 represents countries with the lowest DALY rates globally (at or below the 1st percentile), while a score of 0 indicates the highest rates (at or above the 99th percentile). The data for this analysis comes from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease study.

Water quality is still one of the biggest issues in India. India has an overall score of 25.5, placing it 144th out of 180 nations in the EPI. Although overall environmental performance has improved somewhat, there are still major issues with sanitation and safe drinking water.

In this context, here’s a look at the top 10 countries with the highest water quality in the world.

Source: Environmental Performance Index