More than 41 million people in the EU cannot afford to heat their homes adequately, which is 9.2% of the population. About two-thirds of those in “energy poverty” live in the four largest economies of the European Union, new Eurostat data shows.
Living in a cold house can be not only an emotionally difficult experience, but also a serious risk to physical health. Studies show that cold environments can increase the risk of stroke and respiratory infections, as well as the risk of accidents associated with decreased dexterity, writes Euronews.
Rates of energy poverty vary significantly from country to country. The percentages may not seem alarming at first glance, but the seriousness of the problem becomes apparent when translated into the number of people affected.
Using population data on 1 January 2024, Euronews Business has calculated the number of people affected by this form of poverty. In the EU, the share of people who cannot heat their home varies from 2.7% in Finland to 19% in Bulgaria and Greece.
When EU candidate countries and EFTA states are included, the range widens from 0.7% in Switzerland to 33.8% in Albania. North Macedonia is also an atypical case, with 30.7%. This share also exceeds 10% in Lithuania, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Cyprus, Montenegro, France and Romania.
The proportion of people who fail to keep their homes warm enough is below the EU average in Italy and Germany. The UK is not fully comparable as the latest data is from 2018 when the rate was 5%.
Countries leading the ranking
Among the 36 countries analyzed, Turkey has the highest number of people affected by energy poverty. Although the rate has improved in recent years, 12.9 million people failed to heat their homes in 2024.
In Spain, meanwhile, 8.5 million people were unable to heat their homes, while in France the number reached 8.1 million. The figure is 5.3 million in Germany and 5.1 million in Italy.
According to Eurostat data, Romania is among the countries where more than 10% of the population faces difficulties in heating their homes. More precisely, the percentage of people who cannot heat their homes sufficiently is 10.8%, at the level of 2024, above the EU average of 9.2%.
Eurostat also states that, in 2024, there were 2,059,298 people in Romania who could not afford to heat their homes adequately. Romania ranks 7th in this ranking, after Turkey, Spain, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.
What fuels energy poverty
This is mainly driven by three root causes: a high share of household expenditure allocated to energy, low incomes and poor energy performance of buildings and household appliances.
“The COVID-19 crisis, followed by sharp increases in energy prices and Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, has worsened an already difficult situation for many EU citizens”the European Commission sent.
The share of people who fail to heat their homes has fallen gradually since 2011 and reached its lowest level in 2019 and 2021 before rising again. Last year a new decline was registered.
According to the Commission, this positive development is the result of a combination of factors. Officials point to the reduction of retail prices for gas and electricity, the implementation of energy efficiency measures in EU states, as well as a better understanding of the phenomenon of energy poverty and the affected populations.
