Canada’s Freshwater Quality in a Global Context

Canada had the second-best water-quality ranking among selected industrialized countries based on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI). Canada ranked ninth overall among the 157 countries assessed.

Water quality rankings of selected industrialized countries according to the 2010 Environmental Performance Index

Note: The Environmental Performance Index of water quality is calculated using the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment’s Water Quality Index and is based on different water quality parameters and guidelines than the CESI national freshwater indicator. Care should be taken when comparing these data to the CESI freshwater indicator because it is challenging to develop assessments of environmental quality at the international level based on comparable and sufficient data collection.

Source: The Environmental Performance Index Water Quality Indicator. For more information, please consult the document Canada’s freshwater quality in a global context indicator: data sources and methods document.

Related indicators

• National Freshwater Quality Indicator
• Canada’s Freshwater Quality by Region
• Freshwater Quality at Monitoring Stations Across Canada
• Land Use Impacts on Water Quality

---

For more information on the EPI water quality rankings, visit the Environmental Performance Index website.