Water Hardness by Country: Complete Guide

Water hardness varies dramatically from country to country, driven almost entirely by local geology. Countries drawing water from granite and volcanic rock — like Iceland and Norway — have very soft water, while those sitting on limestone and chalk — like Malta and Cyprus — have very hard water. The table below covers every country on this site, with typical hardness levels and classifications.

Soft (0–60 mg/L) (75 countries)

Moderate (61–120 mg/L) (67 countries)

Albania Moderately hard to hard Argentina Moderate Armenia Moderate Austria Moderate Azerbaijan Moderate to hard Belarus Moderate to hard Benin Coastal aquifer water in Cotonou is moderately hard Bolivia Andean source water tends to be moderate in hardness Bosnia and Herzegovina Moderate to hard Botswana Water carried through the North-South Carrier from dams like Letsibogo is moderately hard Burkina Faso Ziga reservoir water supplying Ouagadougou is moderately hard Chad Chari River water supplying N'Djamena is moderately hard Croatia Moderate to hard Czech Republic Moderate Dominican Republic Moderate Ecuador Moderate in Quito El Salvador Estimated moderate to hard Eritrea Highland reservoir water around Asmara is moderately hard Eswatini Surface water from the Komati and Usutu river systems is moderately hard Ethiopia Highland reservoir water supplying Addis Ababa is moderately soft to moderate French Polynesia Variable: volcanic islands like Tahiti run moderate at roughly 50–100 mg/L Gambia Groundwater from the Continental Terminal aquifer is generally moderate in hardness Greece Moderate to hard on the mainland (150–300 mg/L); island desalinated water is typically low in natural minerals but can taste salty Hong Kong Moderate Iran Moderate to very hard Kazakhstan Moderate to hard Kosovo Moderate Kyrgyzstan Moderate Lebanon Moderate to hard Libya Libyan tap water sourced from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer tends to be moderately hard Liechtenstein Moderate Lithuania Moderate to hard Luxembourg Moderate to hard Macau Moderate Malaysia Moderate Mexico Moderate to hard Micronesia Variable by state and source Monaco Moderate Mongolia Moderate to hard Netherlands Moderate Nicaragua Not centrally published; groundwater from volcanic aquifers tends toward moderate hardness but official data is unavailable North Macedonia Moderate to hard Palau Moderate Papua New Guinea Variable across regions Paraguay Asunción's river-sourced water is moderate Poland Moderate to hard Portugal Moderate Qatar Moderately hard Romania Varies by region San Marino Moderate to hard Serbia Moderate Slovakia Moderate to hard Slovenia Moderate to hard Solomon Islands Generally moderate Sudan Nile-sourced water in Khartoum is generally moderate in hardness Syria Variable and poorly monitored under current conditions; historically moderate to hard Tajikistan Moderate Togo Coastal aquifer water in Lomé is moderately hard Tonga Moderate to hard Trinidad and Tobago Reservoir-sourced water is generally moderate Turkey Moderate to hard Uganda Lake Victoria-sourced water in Kampala is moderately hard Ukraine Moderately hard to hard United Arab Emirates Low to moderate Vanuatu Variable Vatican City Moderate to hard Zimbabwe Lake Chivero-sourced water in Harare is moderately hard

Hard (121–180 mg/L) (43 countries)

Algeria Algerian tap water is generally hard to very hard; groundwater-fed areas of the Mitidja plain and Saharan oases often exceed 300 mg/L Antigua and Barbuda Water hardness varies by source; desalinated supply is soft (around 20–60 mg/L) Barbados Barbados' groundwater is quite hard due to its limestone source Belgium Hard in Brussels and Wallonia (250–350 mg/L); softer in parts of Flanders (100–200 mg/L) Belize Hardness varies with local limestone geology Chile Hard in Santiago (180+ mg/L from Andean rivers) China Varies widely Cyprus Hard to very hard Denmark Hard Djibouti Groundwater hardness varies widely but frequently exceeds 300 mg/L in coastal well fields due to saline intrusion Egypt Hard Estonia Varies seasonally in Tallinn: roughly 250 mg/L in winter France Generally hard Guatemala Hardness varies widely by region and geology Haiti Reliable nationwide hardness data is limited given the fragmented system; regional groundwater in limestone areas tends to be hard Honduras Hardness varies regionally Hungary Hard India Highly variable by region; groundwater in many areas is hard to very hard (over 300 mg/L) and can carry elevated fluoride or arsenic in specific belts Iraq Hard to very hard Israel Generally hard due to limestone geology Italy Hard to very hard in most cities Jamaica Jamaica's limestone-derived water is generally hard Jordan Hard to very hard Mali Mali's water hardness varies by source Malta Hard to very hard Mauritania Mauritania's water tends to be hard to very hard Moldova Hard to very hard Montenegro Hard to very hard Morocco Hard Namibia Namibia's water hardness varies significantly by source Niger Niger's groundwater tends to be hard Nigeria Nigeria's tap water hardness varies widely by region Pakistan Hard Puerto Rico Water hardness varies by source but is generally moderate Senegal Water hardness varies significantly by source: Lac de Guiers-fed Dakar supply is moderately hard at roughly 150–250 mg/L Sierra Leone Water hardness is generally low to moderate Somalia Water hardness varies widely by source; coastal aquifer boreholes near Mogadishu tend to be moderately hard at around 150–300 mg/L Switzerland Varies by canton: hard in limestone regions (250–350 mg/L) Tunisia Tunisia's water is generally hard to very hard Turkmenistan Hard to very hard Uzbekistan Hard Venezuela Reliable current hardness data is limited given the state of monitoring infrastructure; historically Caracas-area water has been moderate Zambia Lusaka's karst limestone aquifer produces notably hard water

Very Hard (180+ mg/L) (1 countries)

United Kingdom Varies widely: very hard in London and the South East (250–350 mg/L)

Variable / Not Published (19 countries)

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