Biochemical oxygen demand in rivers by country
Countries reporting
21
Highest
12.49 Milligrams per litre
Kosovo*
Lowest
0.83 Milligrams per litre
Slovenia
Median
1.93 Milligrams per litre
Years covered
17
2007–2023
Data points
374
What the numbers show
Biochemical oxygen demand in rivers is currently reported for 21 countries. The highest value is 12.49 Milligrams per litre in Kosovo*; the lowest is 0.83 Milligrams per litre in Slovenia.
The median across all reporting countries is 1.93 Milligrams per litre, and the mean is 2.52 Milligrams per litre.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 15.
Over the past decade 5 countries rose and 16 fell. The largest increase was in Kosovo* (up 90.7%), and the largest decrease in Cyprus (down 54.2%).
Biochemical oxygen demand in rivers: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kosovo* | 12.49 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 90.7% | rising |
| 2 | Spain | 3.34 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 11.0% | rising |
| 3 | Portugal | 3.14 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 6.8% | flat |
| 4 | Romania | 3.13 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 25.8% | falling |
| 5 | Italy | 2.59 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 21.3% | falling |
| 6 | Czechia | 2.51 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 12.8% | falling |
| 7 | Bulgaria | 2.48 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 10.8% | falling |
| 8 | Poland | 2.47 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 11.2% | falling |
| 9 | Serbia | 2.39 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 7.2% | falling |
| 10 | Slovakia | 2.16 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 8.1% | falling |
| 11 | Lithuania | 1.93 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 8.1% | falling |
| 11 | Belgium | 1.93 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 27.2% | falling |
| 13 | Germany | 1.82 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 14.2% | falling |
| 14 | Croatia | 1.59 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 4.8% | falling |
| 15 | Latvia | 1.57 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 10.6% | rising |
| 16 | Finland | 1.55 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 18.8% | falling |
| 17 | Estonia | 1.47 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 8.1% | falling |
| 18 | Austria | 1.25 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 16.1% | falling |
| 19 | Cyprus | 1.2 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 54.2% | falling |
| 20 | Ireland | 1.16 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 3.3% | falling |
| 21 | Slovenia | 0.83 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 8.8% | falling |