EU household gas prices decrease in first half of 2026

In the first half of 2026, average gas prices for EU households fell to €0.11 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Prices decreased by 10.2% compared with the second semester of 2025 and by 3.5% compared with the first semester of 2025. This is the lowest average price of gas in the EU recorded after the first semester of 2022. At the same time, seasonal fluctuations resumed the pattern that was visible before the 2022 energy crisis.

This information comes from data on gas prices published recently by Eurostat. The article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article on natural gas prices.

Source dataset: nrg_pc_202

Variations in household gas prices across EU

Among the EU countries with available data, in the first half of 2026, Sweden recorded the highest gas prices for households at €0.22 per kWh, followed by the Netherlands (€0.16) and France and Portugal (both €0.13). The lowest prices were in Hungary (€ 0.03 per kWh), Croatia (€ 0.05) Romania and Slovakia (both € 0.06).

Compared with the same period of 2025 and measured in national currencies, prices decreased in 12 countries with available data, increased in 7, and remained broadly stable in 4. The largest decreases were in Bulgaria (-14.5%), Greece (-11.3%) and Spain (-10.0%), while the largest increases were in Romania (+9.3%), Croatia (+8.9%), and Slovakia (+6.6%).

Expressed in purchasing power standard (PPS), the highest natural gas prices for households were observed in Sweden (17.7 per 100 kWh), Portugal (15.0) and the Netherlands (13.8). The lowest prices based on PPS were in Hungary (4.3), Luxembourg (6.6) and Croatia (6.8).

Source dataset: nrg_pc_202