Housing is a social right, yet tens of millions of Europeans are forced to live in cold homes.
According to Eurostat, more than 41 million people in the EU are unable to afford to keep their properties adequately warm, amounting to 9.2% of the population. About two-thirds of those in 'fuel poverty' live in the EU's four biggest economies.
While living in a cold house may be emotionally distressing, it can also have serious physical health risks. Studies show that cold environments can increase the risk of strokes and respiratory infections, as well as accidents linked to reduced dexterity.
Rates of fuel poverty vary widely from country to country. The percentages may not seem striking at first, but once translated into the number of people affected, the seriousness of the problem becomes evident.
Using the population figures from 1 January 2024, Euronews Business calculated the number of people affected by this form of poverty.
In the EU, the share of people unable to heat their home ranges from 2.7% in Finland to 19% in Bulgaria and Greece.
When EU candidates and EFTA countries are included, this spans from 0.7% in Switzerland to 33.8% in Albania. North Macedonia is also an outlier at 30.7%.
This share is also above 10% in Lithuania, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Cyprus, Montenegro, France, and Romania.
The proportion of people unable to keep their homes adequately warm is below the EU average in Italy and Germany. The UK is not fully comparable, as its most recent data is from 2018, although the rate was 5%.
Turkey, Spain, and France lead
Among 36 countries, Turkey records the highest number of people affected by fuel poverty. Although the rate has improved in recent years, 12.9 million people were unable to keep their homes warm in 2024.
As of the first half of 2025, Turkey had the second-cheapest natural gas in both euro terms and purchasing power standards (PPS), according to Eurostat. In terms of electricity, Turkey has the cheapest prices in euro terms and the third-cheapest in PPS.
In conclusion, despite having low energy costs, a large portion of Turkey's population still suffers from fuel poverty.
In Spain, meanwhile, 8.5 million people were unable to keep their homes warm, while this total came to 8.1 million people in France. The figure stands at 5.3 million in Germany and 5.1 million in Italy.
What drives energy poverty?
Fuel poverty occurs when a household must reduce its energy consumption to a degree that negatively impacts the inhabitants' health and wellbeing, according to the European Commission.
It is mainly driven by three underlying root causes: A high proportion of household expenditure spent on energy, low income, and the low energy performance of buildings and appliances.
“The COVID-19 crisis, followed by the surge in energy prices and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, worsened an already difficult situation for many EU citizens,” said the Commission.
The share of people who are unable to heat their homes has been gradually declining since 2011, and it reached its lowest level in 2019 and 2021 before rising again. Last year saw another decline.
According to the Commission, this positive trend is a result of a combination of factors. Officials point to a reduction in gas and electricity retail prices, the implementation of energy efficiency measures in EU countries, as well as the increased understanding of energy poverty and affected populations.
A recent Euronews Business piece examines electricity and natural gas prices across Europe. It shows the most expensive and cheapest countries both in euro and PPS terms.
