Statistics Explained

SDG 7 - Affordable and clean energy

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all


Data extracted in April 2023.

Planned article update: June 2024.

Highlights


Goal-level assessment of SDG 7 on “Affordable and Clean Energy” showing the EU has made moderate progress during the most recent five-year period of available data.
EU trend of SDG 7 on affordable and clean energy

This article is a part of a set of statistical articles, which are based on the Eurostat publication ’Sustainable development in the European Union — Monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context — 2023 edition’. This report is the seventh edition of Eurostat’s series of monitoring reports on sustainable development, which provide a quantitative assessment of progress of the EU towards the SDGs in an EU context.

SDG 7 calls for ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy. This includes improving energy efficiency, increasing the share of renewables and further diversifying the energy mix while ensuring affordability of energy for citizens.

Full article

Affordable and clean energy in the EU: overview and key trends

In everyday life, our well-being and the workings of the economy depend on reliable, affordable and sustainable energy services, such as electricity supply, heating and cooling, and transport services. Monitoring SDG 7 in an EU context involves looking at developments in energy consumption, energy supply and access to affordable energy. As illustrated by the figure on the right, the EU has made slight progress towards this SDG over the past five years. In the area of energy consumption, the EU needs to speed up progress in light of the more ambitious 2030 energy consumption reduction targets agreed in March 2023. In the area of energy supply, the EU has progressed towards the newly agreed 2030 target for renewable energy to reach a 42.5 % share, although the pace has slowed in recent years. The EU achieved its 2020 target for renewable energy to reach a 20 % share and it reduced its import dependency slightly. Access to affordable energy has been improving over the past few years. It is important to note that the most recent data presented in this chapter refer to 2021, so do not yet reflect the recent developments related to the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on energy consumption and supply.

  • A table showing the indicators measuring progress towards SDG 7 in the EU.

    Table 1: Indicators measuring progress towards SDG 7, EU

  • A table showing the Explanation of symbols for indicating progress towards SD objectives and targets.

    Table 2: Explanation of symbols for indicating progress towards SD objectives and targets

Energy consumption

Increasing energy efficiency is one of the main pillars for reaching an affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy system as envisaged in SDG 7. Efficient energy systems reduce consumption and costs, decrease energy dependencies and diminish the environmental and climate impacts linked to energy supply and use. The EU consequently aims to improve energy efficiency along the whole energy supply chain.

Energy consumption has bounced back after the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced consumption in 2020

The EU aimed to increase its energy efficiency by at least 32.5 % by 2030, which should be achieved through energy consumption reductions alongside increased economic activity. Because the target was set in relation to business-as-usual projections of energy consumption and economic growth, it was translated into absolute levels of energy consumption for monitoring purposes. By 2030, the EU should thus consume no more than 1 128 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) of primary and 846 Mtoe of final energy. In spring 2023, an agreement was reached to increase the 2030 target’s ambition, to limit the EU’s consumption to no more than 993 Mtoe of primary energy and 763 Mtoe of final energy by 2030.

The EU’s primary energy consumption has seen a general downward trend since 2006, reaching 1 309.0 Mtoe in 2021, which is a 13.4 % reduction over the past 15 years. In comparison, final energy consumption has fallen to 967.9 Mtoe or 7.5 % over the same period. The difference in reductions can be mainly traced back to more efficient energy production and the switch to renewable energies [1]. Long-term progress on both fronts was due to various factors, including a structural transition towards less energy-intensive industries in many Member States and improvements in end-use efficiency in the residential sector.

The short-term trend has been influenced by a remarkable drop in energy consumption of more than 8 % in 2020 compared with 2019, mainly as a result of measures taken to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. The economic recovery in 2021 and a return to pre-pandemic mobility patterns has increased energy needs, although consumption has stayed below pre-pandemic levels. Overall, the EU’s primary energy consumption fell by 4.0 % between 2016 and 2021, while final consumption decreased by 0.9 % only. Additional improvements in energy efficiency and consumption patterns appear necessary to ensure the EU meets both of its new, more ambitious 2030 energy consumption targets.

EU citizens’ energy consumption at home increased slightly

Households account for about a quarter of final energy consumption. At home, people use energy in particular for heating, cooling, cooking, lighting, sanitary purposes and appliances. The level of household energy consumption mainly depends on outdoor temperatures, energy performance of buildings, use and efficiency of electrical appliances, and behaviour and economic status of inhabitants (for example, their desired or affordable level of thermal comfort, frequency of clothes washing, use of TV-sets, games and lighting preferences).

Household energy consumption has slightly increased since 2016. In 2021, the average household energy consumption was 586 kilograms of oil equivalent (kgoe) per EU inhabitant, which is about 3.9 % more than in 2016. The data show some annual variability that depends mainly on the weather conditions during winter, as more than 60 % of energy is used for heating.

When viewed over the longer term, efficiency improvements, in particular in space heating, seem to have balanced the effect of population growth and increases in the number and size of dwellings. Since 2006, energy consumption per EU inhabitant has fallen by 3.6 %, with a slight downward trend in total household energy consumption offsetting a 2.3 % or 10.4 million [2] increase in the population over the same period.

The EU has increased its productivity

Recent trends in Europe point to a decoupling of economic growth from energy consumption, which is measured here using gross domestic product (GDP) and gross available energy (GAE) respectively. Between 2006 and 2021, GAE fell by 12.4 % and thus by a similar amount to primary energy consumption. Over the same period, real GDP grew by 15.4 % [3]. As a result, energy productivity — which measures GDP per unit of energy input — increased almost continuously from EUR 6.5 per kgoe in 2006 to EUR 8.5 per kgoe in 2021.

Energy supply

To achieve a clean and secure energy system, the EU is aiming to increase the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption. In March 2023, the EU co-legislators agreed to increase the ambition of the EU’s 2030 target from at least 32 % by 2030 to 42.5 %, with an additional 2.5 % indicative top-up that would allow the EU to reach 45 %. Most renewable energy sources are considered to be practically inexhaustible or renewable within a human lifetime. In contrast, fossil energy sources regenerate over millions of years and are the main source of man-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and therefore contribute significantly to the climate crisis. In addition, fossil fuels such as natural gas and crude oil are mainly imported from outside the EU. This dependence exposes consumers to significant costs and to the risk of supply shortages, as shown by the reduction in natural gas and crude oil deliveries from Russia. The risks increase as dependency on a single country grows. Therefore, the EU is seeking to increase domestic energy production, particularly from renewable energy sources, as well as reduce its energy consumption, and build and update infrastructure to allow clean energy to be distributed across Member States. The EU has also introduced sustainability criteria to address the negative impacts of certain renewable energy sources such as hydropower and biofuels on other SDGs such as health, water and marine and terrestrial ecosystems [4].

The share of renewables has kept rising in the EU, but stronger progress appears necessary to meet the 2030 target

Use of renewable energy has grown continuously in the EU, doubling from 10.8 % of gross final energy consumption in 2006 to reach 21.8 % in 2021. Reductions in investment costs due to economies of scale and greater competition, more efficient technologies, supply chain improvements and renewable energy support schemes have driven this growth [5]. However, even faster growth is likely to be needed for the EU to meet its newly agreed 42.5 % target in 2030.

The share of renewable energy grew in all three of the areas monitored here, namely electricity generation, heating and cooling, and transport. In 2021, the share of renewables in these areas was 37.5 %, 22.9 % and 9.1 %, respectively. However, additional efforts are required across these sectors to scale up the renewable energy transition.

In 2021, the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption varied widely across Member States, due to differences in the availability of renewable sources and financial and regulatory support. Sweden had a substantial lead with a share of 62.6 % followed by Finland and Latvia with shares of 43.1 % and 42.1 %, respectively. These particularly high shares were reached using hydropower and solid biofuels.

Across all Member States, the largest share of renewable energy production in 2021 came from solid biofuels (41.4 %), followed by wind energy (13.2 %) and hydropower (11.9 %). Solid biofuels and wind energy also made the biggest contribution to the absolute increase in renewable energy production between 2016 and 2021. Energy production from heat pumps more than doubled and solar photovoltaic power increased by two-thirds, meaning these two sources saw the largest percentage increase over the period [6].

Fossil fuel imports still cover more than half of the EU’s energy demand

Despite continuous growth in renewable energy sources over the past decade, fuel imports from non-EU countries remained an important energy source for the EU in 2021, contributing to 55.6 % of gross available energy (GAE) — as measured by net imports (imports minus exports). This is just slightly below the share in 2006, when net imports met 58.3 % of the EU’s energy needs. This stagnation can be explained by two opposing developments. On the one hand, the EU reduced its energy consumption and increased its use of domestic renewables. On the other hand, it reduced its primary production of fossil fuels because of exhausted or uneconomical domestic sources, particularly natural gas [7]. Therefore, in 2021, net imports were highest for oil and petroleum products (92.0 % imported), followed by natural gas (83.4 % imported) and solid fuels (predominantly coal) (37.4 % imported). Net imports of renewable energy including biofuels accounted for 8.9 % of gross available renewable energy in 2021 and just 1.8 % of total net imports [8].

Russia continued to be the main supplier of energy to the EU in 2021, accounting for 44.1 % of gas, 28.4 % of petroleum product and 52.4 % of solid fuel imports from outside the EU. This shows the EU’s significant dependence on Russian energy deliveries, which according to the most recent quarterly data fell significantly in 2022 after Russia cut gas supplies to the EU and the EU accelerated its phase out of Russian fossil fuels through sanctions on coal and crude oil and by increasing its diversification efforts. By some distance, the next largest sources of gas and petroleum products were European countries outside the EU (mainly Norway and the UK), which supplied 18.0 % of gas and 15.4 % of petroleum imports. The second largest source for solid fuels was North America, which supplied 17.9 % [9]. All percentages reported here refer to shares of total imports from outside the EU only, so do not account for energy traded between Member States.

In 2021, all Member States were net importers of energy, with 16 importing more than half of their total energy consumption from other countries (EU countries and non-EU countries). Countries with the highest shares of imports in 2021 were the island countries Malta (97.1 %) and Cyprus (89.5 %), along with Luxemburg (92.5 %), which imported almost all of their energy.

Access to affordable energy

SDG 7 emphasises the need for affordable energy for reasons of social equality and justice. Principle 20 of the European Pillar of Social Rights also places energy among the essential services everyone should have access to. The inability to keep the home adequately warm is a survey-based indicator used to monitor access to affordable energy throughout the EU. A lack of access to affordable energy is strongly associated with low levels of income in combination with high expenditure on energy and poor building efficiency standards [10].

Access to affordable energy has been improving since 2012

The EU has made progress on improving access to affordable energy over the past few years. Between 2012 and 2019, the share of people unable to afford to keep their homes adequately warm fell steadily, from 11.2 % to 6.9 %. In 2020, the share temporarily rose to 7.5 %, only to fall again to 6.9 % in 2021. The data do not yet reflect the impacts of the recent price spikes following cuts in Russian energy supplies.

People with an income below the poverty threshold are more likely to report an inability to keep their home adequately warm. In 2021, this was the case for 16.4 % of people from this group, compared with only 4.9 % of people with an income above the poverty threshold.

In 2021, 20 Member States indicated that less than 10 % of their population reported an inability to keep their homes adequately warm. Northern and most western European countries, with particularly cold winters, had the lowest shares of people without affordable access to heating. In contrast, the lack of adequate warmth appeared to be a problem particularly in southern and south-eastern Europe. This distribution can be traced mainly to poor building energy efficiency, including the lack of suitable heating systems and insulation, leading to higher heating costs. In addition, the generally lower income levels in these regions affect housing standards and the ability to pay for fuel. The existence and design of financial interventions by the respective governments might also play an important role in alleviating energy poverty and helping to keep homes adequately warm [11].

Presentation of the main indicators


Definitions of energy terms/concepts

A variety of energy indicators are used to measure energy consumption at different stages of the supply chain and progress towards the EU energy targets. The following box explains the indicators and the differences between them.

Gross available energy (GAE) represents the total energy demand of a country. It is defined as: primary production + recovered/recycled products + imports – exports + stock changes.

Gross inland energy consumption (or gross inland consumption; GIC): represents energy demand including international aviation but excluding maritime bunkers. It is defined as: gross available energy – international maritime bunkers.

Total energy supply: represents the total energy delivered and/or consumed in a country excluding deliveries to international aviation and international marine bunkers. It is defined as: gross inland energy consumption – international aviation.

Primary energy consumption (PEC): represents a country’s total energy demand including consumption of the energy sector itself, losses during transformation and distribution, and the final consumption by end users. This means it excludes, for example, natural gas used in non-energy products, such as chemicals. It is defined as: gross inland energy consumption – non-energy use of energy carriers.

Primary energy consumption (2020–2030): measures the progress towards the EU’s 2020 and 2030 energy efficiency targets. It deviates from primary energy consumption only in that it excludes ambient heat. It is defined as: primary energy consumption – gross inland consumption of ambient heat (heat pumps).

Gross final energy consumption (or gross energy consumption): is the basis for measuring the share of renewable energies according to Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of renewable energies. It represents the energy commodities delivered for energy purposes to industry, transport, households, services including public services, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, the consumption of electricity and heat by the energy branch for electricity, heat and transport fuel production, and losses of electricity and heat in distribution and transmission.

Final energy consumption (FEC) (or final consumption – energy use): measures a country’s energy use by end users, such as households, industry and transport. It excludes the energy used by the energy sector itself and losses incurred during energy transformation and distribution and any non-energy use of energy carriers. It is defined as: primary energy consumption – consumption by the energy sector – transformation/distribution losses – statistical differences.

Final energy consumption (2020–2030): measures the progress towards the EU’s 2020 and 2030 energy efficiency targets. It deviates from final energy consumption by excluding ambient heat and including international aviation and energy consumption of blast furnaces. It is defined as: final energy consumption – final energy consumption of ambient heat (heat pumps) + international aviation + transformation input blast furnaces (all products) – transformation output blast furnaces (all products) + energy sector blast furnaces (all fossil fuels).


Energy consumption

The long-term evaluation of the indicator for primary and final energy consumption, during the period 2006 to 2021 both show insufficient progress towards the EU target. The short-term evaluation for primary and final energy consumption during the period 2016 to 2021 also shows insufficient progress towards the EU target.

This indicator measures a country’s total energy needs excluding all non-energy use of energy carriers (such as natural gas used for producing chemicals rather than for combustion). Primary energy consumption represents a country’s total energy demand before any energy transformation, excluding energy carriers used for non-energy purposes. In comparison, final energy consumption covers the energy consumed by end users, such as industry, transport, households, services and agriculture.

A line chart with two lines and two dots showing primary and final energy consumption in million tonnes of oil equivalent in the EU, from 2000 to 2021. The two lines represent primary and final energy and the two dots show the respective 2030 targets.
Figure 1: Primary and final energy consumption, EU, 2000-2021 (Million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe))
Source: Eurostat (sdg_07_10) and (sdg_07_11)


A double vertical bar chart showing the primary energy consumption in tonnes of oil equivalent per capita, by country in 2016 and 2021 in the EU, EU Member States and other European countries. The bars show the years.
Figure 2: Primary energy consumption, by country, 2016 and 2021 (tonnes of oil equivalent per capita)
Source: Eurostat (sdg_07_10)


A vertical stacked bar chart showing primary energy consumption in percentage, by fuel type in the EU for the years 2006, 2016 and 2021. The bars show percentage for solid fossil fuels, natural gas, oil and petroleum products excluding biofuel portion, nuclear heat and other fuel types.
Figure 3: Primary energy consumption, by fuel type, EU, 2006, 2016 and 2021 (%)
Source: Eurostat (nrg_bal_c)


A vertical stacked bar chart showing final energy consumption in percentage, by sector in the EU for the years 2006, 2016 and 2021. The bars show percentage for industry; transport; commercial and public services; households; agriculture, forestry and fishing; and other sectors.
Figure 4: Final energy consumption, by sector, EU, 2006, 2016 and 2021 (%)
Source: Eurostat (nrg_bal_c)

Final energy consumption in households per capita

The long-term evaluation of the indicator for final energy consumption in households per capita for the period 2006 to 2021 shows moderate progress towards the SD objectives. The short-term evaluation for the period 2016 to 2021 shows moderate movement away from the SD objectives.

This indicator measures how much energy each citizen consumes at home, excluding transport. Data are not temperature-adjusted, so variations from year to year are due in part to weather.

A line chart showing the final energy consumption in households per capita in kilograms of oil equivalent, in the EU from 2000 to 2021.
Figure 5: Final energy consumption in households per capita, EU, 2000-2021 (kgoe)
Source: Eurostat (sdg_07_20)


A double vertical bar chart showing the final energy consumption in households per capita in kilograms of oil equivalent, by country in 2016 and 2021 in the EU, EU Member States and other European countries. The bars show the years.
Figure 6: Final energy consumption in households per capita, by country, 2016 and 2021 (kgoe)
Source: Eurostat (sdg_07_20)

Energy productivity

The long-term evaluation of the indicator for energy productivity for the period 2006 to 2021 shows significant progress towards the SD objectives. The short-term evaluation for the period 2016 to 2021 also shows significant progress towards the SD objectives.

This indicator measures the amount of economic output produced per unit of gross available energy (GAE). Gross available energy represents the quantity of energy products needed to satisfy all demand of entities in the geographical area under consideration. Economic output is either given as euros in chain-linked volumes to the reference year 2010 at 2010 exchange rates or in the unit PPS (purchasing power standards).

A line chart showing energy productivity in purchasing power standards per kilograms of oil equivalent, in the EU from 2000 to 2021.
Figure 7: Energy productivity, EU, 2000-2021 (EUR per kgoe)
Source: Eurostat (sdg_07_30)


A double vertical bar chart showing energy productivity in purchasing power standards per kilograms of oil equivalent, by country in 2016 and 2021, in the EU, EU Member States and other European countries. The bars show the years.
Figure 8: Energy productivity, by country, 2016 and 2021 (PPS per kgoe)
Source: Eurostat (sdg_07_30)


Share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption

The long-term evaluation of the indicator for energy productivity for the period 2006 to 2021 shows moderate progress towards the EU target. The short-term evaluation for the period 2016 to 2021 also shows moderate movement towards the EU target.

This indicator is defined as the share of renewable energy consumption in gross final energy consumption, according to the Renewable Energy Directive [12]. The gross final energy consumption is the energy used by end consumers plus grid losses and power plants’ own consumption.

A line chart with four lines and a dot showing the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption as percentage, in the EU from 2004 to 2021. The lines represent the total percentage and the percentages for electricity, housing and cooling, and transport; and the dot shows the 2030 target.
Figure 9: Share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption, by sector, EU, 2004-2021 (%)
Source: Eurostat (sdg_07_40)


A double vertical bar chart showing the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption, by country in 2016 and 2021 as percentage, in the EU, EU Member States and other European countries. The bars show the years.
Figure 10: Share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption, by country, 2016 and 2021 (%)
Source: Eurostat (sdg_07_40)


Energy import dependency

The long-term evaluation of the indicator for energy import dependency for the period 2006 to 2021 shows moderate progress towards the SD objectives. The short-term evaluation for the period 2016 to 2021 also shows moderate progress towards the SD objectives.

Energy import dependency shows the share of a country’s total energy needs that are met by imports from other countries. It is calculated as net imports divided by the gross available energy (GAE). Energy import dependency = (imports – exports) / gross available energy.

A line chart with four lines showing energy import dependency as a percentage of imports in gross available energy, in the EU from 2000 to 2021. The lines represent the total percentage and the percentages for oil and petroleum products excluding biofuel portion, natural gas and solid fossil fuels.
Figure 11: Energy import dependency, by product, EU, 2000-2021 (% of imports in gross available energy)
Source: Eurostat (sdg_07_50)


A double vertical bar chart showing energy import dependency as a percentage of imports in gross available energy, by country in 2016 and 2021, in the EU, EU Member States and other European countries. The bars show the years.
Figure 12: Energy import dependency, by country, 2016 and 2021 (% of imports in gross available energy)
Source: Eurostat (sdg_07_50)


Population unable to keep home adequately warm

The long-term evaluation of the indicator for population unable to keep home adequately warm for the period 2010 to 2021 shows significant progress towards the SD objectives. The short-term evaluation for the period 2016 to 2021 also shows significant progress towards the SD objectives.

This indicator measures the share of people unable to afford to keep their home adequately warm. The data are collected as part of the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) to monitor the development of poverty and social inclusion in the EU. Data collection is based on a survey, which means that indicator values are self-reported.

A line chart showing the percentage of population unable to keep home adequately warm, in the EU from 2010 to 2021.
Figure 13: Population unable to keep home adequately warm, EU, 2010-2021 (% of population)
Source: Eurostat (sdg_07_60)


A double vertical bar chart showing the percentage of population unable to keep home adequately warm, by country in 2016 and 2021, in the EU, EU Member States and other European countries. The bars show the years.
Figure 14: Population unable to keep home adequately warm, by country, 2016 and 2021 (% of population)
Source: Eurostat (sdg_07_60)

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More detailed information on EU SDG indicators for monitoring of progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as indicator relevance, definitions, methodological notes, background and potential linkages, can be found in the introduction of the publication ’Sustainable development in the European Union — Monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context — 2023 edition’.

Notes

  1. ↑ The substitution of fossil energy by renewable energies leads to a reduction of PEC via a statistical definition. The physical energy content method basically means fossil and biogenic fuel input quantities are multiplied by their calorific value. Wind, hydropower or photovoltaics produce energy with 100 % efficiency, geothermal energy with 10 % and nuclear energy with 33 %. This means that PEC decreases disproportionately with increasing substitution of fossil and nuclear fuels by renewable energies.
  2. ↑ Source: Eurostat (demo_gind).
  3. ↑ Source: Eurostat (nrg_bal_c) and (nama_10_gdp).
  4. ↑ See e.g. Sayed, E. T. et al. (2021), A critical review on environmental impacts of renewable energy systems and mitigation strategies: Wind, hydro, biomass and geothermal, Science of the total environment, Volume 766 or Best, A., et al. (2021), Assessment of resource nexus-related challenges and opportunities in the context of the European Green Deal. Background report for the EEA Briefing "Applying a 'resource nexus' lens to policy: opportunities for increasing coherence".
  5. ↑ European Commission (2022), 2022 Report on the Achievement of the 2020 Renewable Energy Targets.
  6. ↑ Source: Eurostat (nrg_bal_c).
  7. ↑ Ibid.
  8. ↑ Ibid.
  9. ↑ Source: Eurostat (online data codes: (nrg_ti_sff), (nrg_ti_oil) and (nrg_ti_gas)). Import shares for natural gas were calculated in cubic meters; solid fuel and oil import shares were calculated in tonnes.
  10. ↑ European Commission (2020), Commission Recommendation on Energy Poverty, COM(2020) 1563, Brussels.
  11. ↑ Bouzarovski, S. and Tirado-Herrero, S. (2017), The energy divide: Integrating energy transitions, regional inequalities and poverty trends in the European Union. European Urban and Regional Studies; 24: pp. 69–86.
  12. ↑ European Parliament and Council of the European Union (2009), Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources.
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