Energy poverty decreases: 9.2% of EU citizens still struggle to heat their homes in 2024

Although the overall situation has significantly improved compared to 2023, nearly one in five residents in Bulgaria and Greece continue to live in the cold.

Brussels, February 3, 2026 – New data published regarding living conditions in Europe reveals that, although the energy crisis is easing, a significant part of the population remains vulnerable. In 2024, 9.2% of the EU population failed to adequately heat their homes, marking a notable improvement of 1.4 percentage points compared to the previous year.

In short

1. The proportion of the EU population that cannot adequately heat their homes decreased to 9.2% in 2024, an improvement of 1.4 percentage points compared to 2023.

2. Bulgaria and Greece recorded the highest rates of energy poverty, with 19% of the population unable to ensure adequate heating.

3. Finland, Poland, and Slovenia reported the best figures, demonstrating the highest resilience to heating costs, with rates of only 2.7% and 3.3% respectively.

Despite the overall positive trend at the community block level, the data expose a strong gap between member states. The highest percentages of people living in cold homes were observed in Bulgaria and Greece, where 19.0% of the population struggled with heating costs. They were closely followed by Lithuania (18.0%) and Spain (17.5%), highlighting that energy poverty remains a critical issue both in the south and in the east of Europe.

In contrast, nations in northern and central Europe showed much greater resilience. Finland reported the lowest proportion of citizens unable to heat their homes, at just 2.7%. Poland and Slovenia also had good results, both recording 3.3%, while Estonia and Luxembourg followed with 3.6%. The disparity suggests that, although EU measures to stabilize energy prices are functioning, national infrastructure and income levels still dictate the comfort level for millions of households.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/stiri/saracia-energetica-scade-92-dintre-cetatenii-ue-inca-se-chinuie-sa-si-incalzeasca-locuintele-in-2024