OnlyBeaches Quarterly Report · Q3 2026BEST BEACHES
BEST BEACHES
IN THE WORLD
2026
36,816 beaches scored across 116 countries using live wave data, water quality sensors, real-time crowd intelligence, and 4.6M individual data points.
36,816
beaches scored
116
countries covered
1056
Blue Flag tracked
4191
new entries this year
18
dropped from top 50
4.6M
live data points
What the data shows in 2026
9.5
Atlantic leads global OBI rankings
Atlantic beaches score an average of 9.5 on the OnlyBeaches Index, computed live across 1,198 beaches in the region.
#1
Palm Beach, Aruba — world's top beach
OBI 9.9, with a purity sub-score of 10.0/10. Blue Flag certified.
4191
New entries added in the last 90 days
Our editorial team and community submissions added 4191 new beaches to OBI since spring 2026.
1056
Blue Flag beaches score 0.4 higher on purity on average
OnlyBeaches tracks every Blue Flag-certified beach across 116 countries. Certification correlates strongly with purity scores above 9.0.
9.4
Global average OBI in 2026
Worldwide OBI average across all regions, weighted by the number of beaches per region.
#1
Aruba is the top destination by average OBI
Aruba averages OBI 9.9 across 152 mapped beaches, led by Palm Beach.
How we score beaches
The OBI — OnlyBeaches Intelligence score
Purity35% of score
Water quality, Blue Flag status, marine protection, waste management
Conditions35% of score
Live wave data, swell, wind, water temperature, UV index (Stormglass API)
Crowd20% of score
Real-time foot traffic, seasonal patterns, peak hour scoring
Vibe10% of score
Community ratings, reel quality scores, traveller reviews
Full methodology available at /methodology. Scores updated daily using live API data from Stormglass and OpenWeatherMap.
Top 50 beaches in the world · Q3 2026
| Rank | Beach | Country | Vibe | OBI | Purity | Crowd | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Palm Beach🏴 | Aruba | family | 9.9 | 10.0 | 9.9 | — |
| 🥈 | Bondi Beach🏴 | Australia | surf | 9.8 | 10.0 | 9.8 | — |
| 🥉 | Manly Beach🏴 | Australia | family | 9.7 | 10.0 | 9.7 | — |
| 4 | Green Island Beach | Antigua and Barbuda | snorkeling | 9.6 | 9.4 | 9.6 | — |
| 5 | Long Beach | Australia | scenic | 9.6 | 9.4 | 9.6 | — |
| 6 | Alva Beach | Australia | surf | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 7 | Brighton Beach | United Kingdom | party | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 8 | Coogee Beach | Australia | surf | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 9 | Cylinder Beach | Australia | surf | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 10 | Degersand Beach | Finland | family | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 11 | Jones Beach | Australia | surf | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 12 | Kingfisher Bay Beach | Australia | family | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 13 | Lake McKenzie Beach | Australia | family | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 14 | Monkey Beach | Australia | snorkeling | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 15 | North Wollongong Beach | Australia | surf | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 16 | Nudey Beach | Australia | snorkeling | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 17 | Putney Beach | Australia | family | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 18 | Rainbow Bay Beach | Bahamas | family | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 19 | Tangalooma Beach | Australia | family | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 20 | Tangalooma Beach | Australia | family | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 21 | Terrigal Beach | Australia | surf | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 22 | The Wrecks Beach | Australia | snorkeling | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 23 | Welcome Bay Beach | Australia | family | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 24 | Wollongong City Beach | Australia | surf | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 25 | Woodgate Beach | Australia | family | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.5 | — |
| 26 | 75 Mile Beach | Australia | surf | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 27 | Agnes Water Beach | Australia | surf | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 28 | Amity Point Beach | Australia | family | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 29 | Angourie Point Beach | Australia | surf | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 30 | Austinmer Beach | Australia | surf | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 31 | Avalon Beach | Australia | surf | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 32 | Avoca Beach | Australia | surf | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 33 | Bingil Bay | Australia | hidden | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.9 | — |
| 34 | Birubi Beach | Australia | surf | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 35 | Black Head Beach | Australia | family | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 36 | Blacksmiths Beach | Australia | surf | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 37 | Blue Lagoon Beach | Australia | family | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 38 | Blueys Beach | Australia | surf | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 39 | Boomerang Beach | Australia | surf | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 40 | Bovik Beach | Finland | family | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.9 | — |
| 41 | Bramwell Junction Beach | Australia | scenic | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 42 | Bremer Island Beach | Australia | family | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 43 | Broadbeach | Australia | family | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 44 | Bronte Beach | Australia | surf | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 45 | Brooms Head Beach | Australia | family | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 46 | Broulee Beach | Australia | surf | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 47 | Burleigh Heads Beach | Australia | surf | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 48 | Camp Cove Beach | Australia | family | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 49 | Cape Tribulation Beach | Australia | surf | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
| 50 | Casuarina Beach | Australia | family | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.4 | — |
Best beach by vibe
Each vibe category scored independently — the world's best beach for every kind of traveller.
Best family9.9
Palm Beach
Aruba
Gentle slope, calm water, lifeguarded, accessible
Best surf9.8
Bondi Beach
Australia
Consistent swell, offshore winds, world-class lineups
Best snorkeling9.6
Green Island Beach
Antigua and Barbuda
Clear water, protected marine life, year-round visibility
Most scenic9.6
Long Beach
Australia
Cliffs, turquoise water and unmatched photography
Best party9.5
Brighton Beach
United Kingdom
Beach clubs, sunset DJs, vibrant nightlife scene
Best hidden9.4
Bingil Bay
Australia
Off-grid coastline with rare crowd-free conditions
Best beach destinations 2026
All countries →1🏖
Aruba
152 beaches · Top: Palm Beach
9.9
▲ avg
2🏖
Antigua and Barbuda
159 beaches · Top: Green Island Beach
9.6
▲ avg
3🏖
Bahamas
426 beaches · Top: Rainbow Bay Beach
9.5
▲ avg
4🇬🇧
United Kingdom
863 beaches · Top: Brighton Beach
9.5
▲ avg
5🇫🇷
France
1,180 beaches · Top: Plage de Palombaggia
9.5
▲ avg
6🏖
El Salvador
121 beaches · Top: Playa Costa Azul
9.5
— avg
7🏖
Uruguay
374 beaches · Top: Playa Punta Colorada
9.5
— avg
8🏖
Finland
206 beaches · Top: Degersand Beach
9.4
— avg
9🇦🇺
Australia
928 beaches · Top: Bondi Beach
9.4
— avg
10🇳🇿
New Zealand
687 beaches · Top: Long Beach
9.4
— avg
11🏖
Argentina
739 beaches · Top: Snow Hill Island Beach
9.4
— avg
12🏖
Denmark
777 beaches · Top: Sønderstrand
9.4
— avg
13🇲🇾
Malaysia
125 beaches · Top: Desaru Beach
9.3
▼ avg
14🏖
Mauritius
140 beaches · Top: Blue Bay Beach
9.2
▼ avg
15🇮🇩
Indonesia
196 beaches · Top: Derawan Island Beach
9.2
▼ avg
16🇯🇵
Japan
2,014 beaches · Top: Kabushima Beach
9.2
▼ avg
17🏖
USA
2,347 beaches · Top: Ocean Beach
9.2
▼ avg
Risers & fallers 2025→2026
▲ Biggest improvers
Palm Beach+0.8
Aruba
9.1→9.9
Newly Blue Flag certified — purity score raised after water-quality improvements.
Bondi Beach+0.8
Australia
9.0→9.8
Newly Blue Flag certified — purity score raised after water-quality improvements.
Manly Beach+0.8
Australia
8.9→9.7
Newly Blue Flag certified — purity score raised after water-quality improvements.
Green Island Beach+0.8
Antigua and Barbuda
8.8→9.6
New OBI entry — discovered after community submissions and editorial review.
Long Beach+0.8
Australia
8.8→9.6
New OBI entry — discovered after community submissions and editorial review.
▼ Biggest declines
No beaches currently tagged with overtourism or pollution indicators.
OBI trends & analysis
Regional breakdown
Average OBI score by world region
Computed live from the 10,736 beaches in the dataset that fall inside one of our seven core world regions.
Atlantic · 1,198 beaches
Mediterranean · 4,984 beaches
Pacific · 3,629 beaches
South-East Asia · 925 beaches
Purity trends 2022–2026
Mediterranean rises, South-East Asia falls
Five-year purity score trajectory blending Blue Flag certification rate, water-quality sensors and waste-management indicators across the three busiest beach regions.
Crowd intelligence
Global average crowd score by month
July and August score below 6.0 globally — beaches are at their most crowded. The best beach window is October to March.
Best months:Oct · Nov · Dec · Jan · Feb · Mar
Peak crowds:Jul · Aug
For press & travel blogs
Press kit & embeddable assets
Download the full press kit, quote our findings freely, or embed the country award badge on your site. All we ask is a link back to onlybeaches.com.
Press kit includes
✓ Global press release (EN)
✓ 20 country press releases
✓ OBI methodology explainer
✓ Top 50 data CSV export
✓ 1200×630 OG share image
✓ Country award badges (PNG)
✓ Embeddable badge iframes
✓ High-res OBI dial graphics
✓ Key findings infographic
✓ Spokesperson quote sheet
Embeddable country award badge
Copy and paste onto your travel blog or website. The badge auto-links back to the full report.
<iframe src="https://onlybeaches.com/embed/award/aruba-2026" width="240" height="130" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="OnlyBeaches Award — Best Beaches Aruba 2026"></iframe>
Preview:
🏆
OnlyBeaches Award 2026
#1 Best Beach Destination
Aruba · OBI avg 9.9
onlybeaches.com