In the second half of 2021, average household electricity prices in the EU increased sharply compared with the same period of 2020 (€21.3 per 100 kWh), standing at €23.7 per 100 kWh. Average gas prices in the EU also increased compared with the same period of 2020 (€7.0 per 100 kWh) to €7.8 per 100 kWh in the second half of 2021. More recently, wholesale prices for electricity and gas have increased substantially across the EU. Energy and supply costs, caused by several economic factors, mainly drove the increase.
Taxes and levies accounted for 36% of the electricity bills charged to households in the EU in the second half of 2021. For gas bills, the corresponding share was 30%. There were no significant changes in this price component compared with a year ago.
This information comes from data on electricity and gas prices published recently by Eurostat. The article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained articles on electricity prices and natural gas prices.
Source dataset: nrg_pc_204 and nrg_pc_202
Electricity prices increased in all Member States except two
Household electricity prices rose in 25 EU Member States in the second half of 2021, compared with the second half of 2020. The largest increase (expressed in national currencies) was registered in Estonia (+50%), ahead of Sweden (+49%) and Cyprus (+36%).
Source dataset: nrg_pc_204
The only decreases were observed in Slovakia (-6%) and Hungary (-0.1%).
Expressed in euro, average household electricity prices in the second half of 2021 were lowest in Hungary (€10.0 per 100 kWh), Bulgaria (€10.9) and Croatia (€13.1) and highest in Denmark (€34.5), Germany (€32.3), Belgium (€29.9) and Ireland (€29.7).
Gas prices increased in 20 EU Member States
Between the second half of 2020 and the second half of 2021, gas prices increased in 20 of the 24 EU Member States that report natural gas prices in the household sector. The largest increases in household gas prices in national currencies), were observed in Bulgaria (+103%) followed by Greece (+96%) and Estonia (+83%).
Source dataset: nrg_pc_202
In contrast, the only decreases in price were recorded in Slovakia (-12%), Czechia (-5%) and Portugal (-1%).
Expressed in euro, average household gas prices in the second half of 2021 were lowest in Hungary (€3.1 per 100 kWh), Croatia (€4.0) and Lithuania (€4.1) and highest in Sweden (€18.6), Denmark (€12.5), the Netherlands (€11.0) and Spain (€10.8).
For more information:
- Statistics Explained article on electricity prices
- Statistics Explained article on natural gas prices
- Visualisation tool for Energy Prices
Methodological notes:
- Cyprus, Malta and Finland do not report natural gas prices in the household sector.
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