Consumer Energy Prices in Europe
This page looks the latest data from Eurostat on consumer energy prices in Europe, covering electricity and gas price changes over time and the impact of taxes and levies.
Rising electricity prices across Europe
Electricity prices in the EU reached their highest level on record of €0.25 per kWh in the first half of 2022, according to data from Eurostat.
Consumers in Denmark, Belgium and Germany are currently experiencing the highest electricity price levels. In Denmark, a medium-size household with an annual consumption between 2 500 kWh and 5 000 kWh saw an average price of €0.46 per kWh in the first half of 2022. This was over 80% higher than the EU27 average of €0.25 per kWh for such household types.
Electricity prices for consumers rose in almost all European countries in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. The largest increases (including taxes) were seen in the Czech Republic, Denmark and Estonia.
A closer look at electricity prices for different consumer groups shows that Denmark has some of the highest prices in all groups. For households with annual consumption below 1000 kWh, Spain and Italy currently have higher prices than Denmark. The Netherlands has the lowest prices across consumer groups.
There are large variations in the impact of taxes and levies on electricity prices for consumers. While Denmark has the highest prices when taxes are included, they have the sixth highest price when taxes and levies are excluded. The Netherlands has the eighth highest electricity price when taxes and levies are excluded, but the lowest price when taxes and levies are included, due to the subsidies given to households.
Price levels vary greatly between countries in Europe. The below visualisations show electricity prices measured in Eurostat's purchasing power standard (PPS). The PPS is calculated such that one unit of PPS buys the same amount of goods and services in each country, thus adjusting for differences in price level differences.
When electricity prices are measured in PPS, they are highest in Romania and the Czech Republic. They are still the lowest in the Netherlands. Norway notably has the third lowest energy price when measured in PPS.
Gas prices also reaching record highs
Average gas prices for consumers in the EU also reached new record levels of €0.086 per kWh in the first half of 2022, according to data from Eurostat.
Consumers in Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands currently have the highest gas prices. In Sweden, a medium-size household with an annual consumption between 20 and 200 Gigajoules saw an average price of €0.22 per kWh in the first half of 2022, over twice as high as the EU27 average of €0.09.
Gas prices for consumers rose in all but two European countries in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. The largest increases (including taxes) were seen in the Moldova, Estonia and North Macedonia.
In the first half of 2022, Sweden had the highest prices across all consumer groups. For consumers with an average consumption of less than 20 Gigajoules, the gas prices in Sweden (€0.40) were over three times as high as the EU27 average (€0.12).
Compared to electricity prices, the impact of taxes and levies is smaller on gas prices. One exception is in the Netherlands and Sweden where taxes and levies correspond to 53% and 33% of the final gas price.
When adjusting for price level differences between countries, gas prices (in PPS) are highest in North Macedonia, followed by Sweden, Bulgaria and Estonia.
About the data
The data presented on this page is based on Eurostat's electricity price statistics and natural gas price statistics. Data is published twice annually by Eurostat. The next planned publication is in April 2023 with data covering the second half of 2022.
Changelog
- First release December 2022, with Eurostat data covering the first half of 2022.