Tap water index
With just over a third (31%) of Brits saying that after two years of pandemic disruption they want to travel overseas. If you’re one of them, there will be lots to plan – from choosing which outfits to pack, to deciding which sights to see – but one thing you might not be thinking about is the safety of the drinking water.
However, it’s something you really should be considering, as there are a lot of locations where, if you drink the tap water, you could end up with an upset stomach – and potentially even worse.
If you’re not sure where you can and can’t drink tap water, you’re in luck. By using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we can reveal where it’s safe for you to drink the water – and where you should avoid it.
Where is it safe to drink tap water?
We looked at the top 20 countries most visited by UK residents. It’s safe to drink the tap water in most of the European countries on the list, but there are a few you need to look out for.
Tap water should be avoided in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Lithuania, Romania, and Turkey. However, every other country in Europe on the top 20 list is fine, meaning not only can you drink the tap water there, but you can use it to brush your teeth and have ice cubes in your drinks too.
But we do recommend caution if you visit rural areas, even in countries where the water is considered safe to drink.
However, if you’re jetting off outside of Europe, then you need to double check beforehand, to see if it’s safe to drink the water. Whilst there are a few where it’s safe, such as the USA (which is one of the top 20 countries visited by Brits), Bahrain and Japan, there are lots of places where you should avoid using tap water altogether, or else you could fall ill.
For a full list of where it is and isn’t safe to drink tap water, head to the bottom of this blog.
Top tips to stay safe when eating and drinking abroad
While most know that drinking tap water abroad can make you ill, one in 10** weren’t aware of this. Often, drinking unclean tap water will lead to an upset stomach and diarrhoea – meaning you’ll have a couple of not-so-great days stuck on the toilet, instead of being out and about, soaking up the sun and enjoying the sights.
However, in many countries across Asia, Africa and South America, drinking tap water could result in you catching water-borne diseases, such as typhoid and Hepatitis A. While there are vaccinations you can get before you travel to protect yourself from these, you should be careful, rather than assume you’re safe.
It’s not all that difficult to avoid using tap water – but there are a few things you’ll need to consider, so you don’t get caught out. With our survey revealing 35% of holiday-goers have fallen ill from drinking tap water abroad, it’s time to follow these tips to avoid getting sick:
1. Only drink from sealed bottled water
Make sure any bottled water you buy is sealed. Street vendors might refill bottles with tap water and seal them with glue, so make sure you stick to shops, and listen for the clicking noise the plastic cap makes when it’s being opened for the first time.
2. Avoid ice cubes in your drinks
When you’re in a restaurant ordering a refreshing drink, it’s tempting to ask for ice – especially if it’s a hot day. But ice cubes are typically made from tap water, so they could make you ill. Always be sure to say “no ice” when you order a drink.
3. Use bottled water to brush your teeth
Our survey reveals that one in four people don’t know that brushing your teeth with tap water can make you ill. Make sure you use bottled water for absolutely everything – including brushing your teeth.
4. Be cautious with salads
In countries where it’s not safe to drink the tap water, it’s suggested to avoid salads altogether, as the ingredients are often washed in tap water (something which nearly 24% of survey respondents didn’t know could make you ill).
5. Purify the water
If you’ll be travelling long-term, then you could look at a more cost-effective (and environmentally friendly) alternative to bottled water – purifying tap water. However, you need to be very careful when you do this, to make sure that the water is safe enough to drink.
Boiling tap water is one method of making sure it’s safe enough to use, as is mixing in an iodine solution (just remember to shake and then leave the water for 30 minutes to settle). However, if you’re just abroad for a week or two, getting bottled water is probably the easier option.
It’s important to have the right level of travel insurance in case you become ill and need medical treatment. You can buy single trip travel insurance for one-off trips, but if you’re planning on travelling overseas more than once in a year, it may be cheaper to get annual travel insurance – just make sure your policy covers the countries you’re travelling to.
For more helpful tips and information ahead of your holiday, head on over to our travel hub.
Brought to you by the travel insurance experts at comparethemarket.com.
Methodology
By using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention we’ve revealed the areas across the globe where you can and can’t drink tap water as a tourist/traveller.
We’ve analysed 227 locations to see where you can and can’t drink tap water, Russia and Ukraine were removed leaving 225. We’ve then analysed the 20 leading outbound travel destinations from the UK (2019-2021) from Statista to determine the leading countries visited most by UK residents. Based on this list, we’ve then revealed which countries (out of the 20) you should and shouldn’t drink the water.
We caveat the fact that travellers visiting rural or remote areas that are served by unregulated water sources such as private wells, should take special precautions to ensure the safety of their drinking water, even in countries where it’s safe to drink.
**Survey of 2,000 UK adults that have been on holiday abroad in the last five years undertaken by TLF in July 2022.
Tap water index
Locations |
Is the water safe to drink? |
---|---|
Afghanistan |
No |
Albania |
No |
Algeria |
No |
American Samoa |
No |
Angola |
No |
Antigua and Barbuda |
No |
Argentina |
No |
Armenia |
No |
Azerbaijan |
No |
Australia |
Yes |
Azores |
No |
Bahamas |
No |
Bangladesh |
No |
Barbados |
No |
Belarus |
No |
Belize |
No |
Benin |
No |
Bhutan |
No |
Bolivia |
No |
Bonaire |
No |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
No |
Botswana |
No |
Brazil |
No |
Brunei |
No |
Bulgaria |
No |
Burkina Faso |
No |
Burundi |
No |
Cambodia |
No |
Cameroon |
No |
Cape Verde Islands |
No |
Cayman Islands |
No |
Central African Republic |
No |
Chad |
No |
China |
No |
Christmas Island (Australia) |
No |
Colombia |
No |
Comoros |
No |
Congo (Republic of the) |
No |
Cote D'Ivoire |
No |
Cuba |
No |
Cyprus |
No |
Democratic Republic of Congo |
No |
Djibouti |
No |
Dominica |
No |
Dominican Republic |
No |
Easter Island (Chile) |
No |
Ecuador |
No |
Egypt |
No |
El Salvador |
No |
Equatorial Guinea |
No |
Eritrea |
No |
Ethiopia |
No |
Falkland Islands |
No |
Faroe Islands (Denmark) |
No |
Fiji |
No |
French Guiana |
No |
French Polynesia |
No |
Gabon |
No |
Gambia |
No |
Georgia |
No |
Ghana |
No |
Gibraltar |
No |
Grenada |
No |
Guatemala |
No |
Guinea |
No |
Guyana |
No |
Haiti |
No |
Honduras |
No |
Hong Kong |
No |
Iceland |
No |
India |
No |
Indonesia |
No |
Iran |
No |
Iraq |
No |
Jamaica |
No |
Jordan |
No |
Kazakhstan |
No |
Kenya |
No |
Kiribati |
No |
Kyrgyzstan |
No |
Laos |
No |
Latvia |
No |
Lebanon |
No |
Lesotho |
No |
Liberia |
No |
Libya |
No |
Lithuania |
No |
Madagascar |
No |
Madeira (Portugal) |
No |
Malawi |
No |
Malaysia |
No |
Maldives |
No |
Mali |
No |
Mauritania |
No |
Mauritius |
No |
Mayotte |
No |
Mexico |
No |
Mongolia |
No |
Montenegro |
No |
Montserrat |
No |
Morocco |
No |
Mozambique |
No |
Namibia |
No |
Nauru |
No |
Nepal |
No |
Nicaragua |
No |
Niger |
No |
Nigeria |
No |
Niue |
No |
Norfolk Island |
No |
North Korea |
No |
North Macedonia |
No |
Oman |
No |
Pakistan |
No |
Panama |
No |
Papua New Guinea |
No |
Paraguay |
No |
Peru |
No |
Philippines |
No |
Pitcairn Islands |
No |
Qatar |
No |
Romania |
No |
Rwanda |
No |
Saba |
No |
Saint Barthelemy |
No |
Saint Lucia |
No |
Saint Martin |
No |
Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
No |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
No |
Saints Kitts and Nevis |
No |
Samoa |
No |
São Tomé and Príncipe |
No |
Senegal |
No |
Serbia |
No |
Seychelles |
No |
Sierra Leone |
No |
Sint Eustatius |
No |
Sint Maarten |
No |
Solomon Islands |
No |
Somalia |
No |
South Africa |
No |
South Sudan |
No |
Sri Lanka |
No |
Sudan |
No |
Suriname |
No |
Swaziland |
No |
Syria |
No |
Taiwan |
No |
Tajikistan |
No |
Tanzania |
No |
Thailand |
No |
Togo |
No |
Tokelau (New Zealand) |
No |
Tonga |
No |
Trinidad and Tobago |
No |
Tunisia |
No |
Turkey |
No |
Turkmenistan |
No |
Turks and Caicos Islands |
No |
Tuvalu |
No |
Uganda |
No |
United Arab Emirates |
No |
Uruguay |
No |
Uzbekistan |
No |
Vanuatu |
No |
Venezuela |
No |
Vietnam |
No |
Virgin Islands (UK) |
No |
Wake Island |
No |
Yemen |
No |
Zambia |
No |
Andorra |
Yes |
Aruba |
Yes |
Australia |
Yes |
Austria |
Yes |
Bahrain |
Yes |
Belgium |
Yes |
Bermuda |
Yes |
Canada |
Yes |
Chile |
Yes |
Cook Islands (New Zealand) |
Yes |
Costa Rica |
Yes |
Croatia |
Yes |
Curaçao |
Yes |
Czech Republic |
Yes |
Denmark |
Yes |
Estonia |
Yes |
Finland |
Yes |
France |
Yes |
Germany |
Yes |
Greece |
Yes |
Greenland |
Yes |
Guadeloupe |
Yes |
Hungary |
Yes |
Israel |
Yes |
Italy |
Yes |
Japan |
Yes |
Kuwait |
Yes |
Liechtenstein |
Yes |
Luxembourg |
Yes |
Malta |
Yes |
Martinique |
Yes |
Monaco |
Yes |
Netherlands |
Yes |
New Caledonia |
Yes |
New Zealand |
Yes |
Norway |
Yes |
Palau |
Yes |
Poland |
Yes |
Portugal |
Yes |
Puerto Rico |
Yes |
Réunion |
Yes |
Republic of Ireland |
Yes |
Saint Helena |
Yes |
San Marino |
Yes |
Saudi Arabia |
Yes |
Singapore |
Yes |
Slovakia |
Yes |
Slovenia |
Yes |
South Korea |
Yes |
Spain |
Yes |
Sweden |
Yes |
Switzerland |
Yes |
United Kingdom |
Yes |
United States |
Yes |
Virgin Islands (US) |
Yes |