Household electricity prices ease in 1st half of 2026

In the first half of 2026, average electricity prices for households in the EU decreased by 2.2% to €0.28, down from €0.29 per kWh in the second half of 2025. Prices remained well above levels from before the 2022 energy crisis.

At the same time, taxes and levies also fell slightly as their share in the final bill decreased by 0.5 percentage points, from 28.9% in the second half of 2025 to 28.4% in the first half of 2026.

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

Source dataset: nrg_pc_204

Wide disparities in EU household electricity prices

Considerable variations in household electricity prices were observed among EU countries; 6 countries reported prices above €0.30 per kWh, while 5 countries recorded prices below €0.20 per kWh. Ireland reported the highest electricity prices at €0.39 per kWh, followed by Germany and Belgium (both €0.36). By contrast, the lowest prices were observed in Hungary (€0.11), Malta and Bulgaria (€0.13 each).

Compared with the first half of 2025, national currency comparisons show strong price movements in the first half of 2026. Household electricity prices rose sharply in Romania (+51.6% compared with the first half of 2025), Ireland (+19.8%), and Finland (+18.4%). By contrast, some countries recorded sharp decreases, notably Denmark (-31.7%) and Luxembourg (-24.1%).

Expressed in purchasing power standard (PPS), electricity prices were the highest for households in Romania (46.9 per 100 kWh), Poland (41.1) and Czechia (34.3). The lowest prices based on PPS were observed in Malta (13.8), Hungary (14.7) and Luxembourg (15.5).

Source dataset: nrg_pc_204