| Host city | Barcelona |
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| Events | 34 |
| Opening | 5 September 1970 |
| Closing | 13 September 1970 |
The 1970 European Aquatics Championships were held in Barcelona, Spain from 5 to 13 September 1970. Titles were contested in swimming, diving and water polo (men). The swimming program was significantly expanded. Both men and women competed in the 200 m freestyle, 100 m breaststroke and 200 individual medley for the first time. Furthermore, in the men's swimming program the 100 m butterfly was introduced and the 100 m backstroke was re-introduced after having been absent for the last two championships. In the women's swimming program, the 800 m freestyle, 200 m backstroke and 200 m butterfly were introduced.
* Host nation (Spain)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  East Germany | 16 | 9 | 9 | 34 |
| 2 |  Soviet Union | 6 | 4 | 8 | 18 |
| 3 |  West Germany | 4 | 6 | 4 | 14 |
| 4 |  Sweden | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 5 |  Hungary | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 6 |  Italy | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 7 |  France | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 |  Czechoslovakia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 |  Yugoslavia | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 10 |  Spain * | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 11 |  Netherlands | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 12 |  Great Britain | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Totals (12 entries) | 34 | 34 | 34 | 102 | |
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 m springboard | Franco Cagnotto (ITA) | 555.21 | Klaus Dibiasi (ITA) | 534.72 | Vladimir Vasin (URS) | 529.80 |
| 10 m platform | Lothar Matthes (GDR) | 454.74 | Klaus Dibiasi (ITA) | 444.18 | Franco Cagnotto (ITA) | 435.36 |
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 m springboard | Heidi Becker (GDR) | 420.63 | Marina Janicke (GDR) | 407.22 | Tamara Safonova (URS) | 405.60 |
| 10 m platform | Milena Duchková (TCH) | 336.33 | Marina Janicke (GDR) | 329.85 | Sylvia Fiedler (GDR) | 322.26 |
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's competition | Soviet Union | Hungary | Yugoslavia |