Spain’s electricity landscape remained in the spotlight as it ranked among the European nations with the highest domestic bills, placed beside Germany, Denmark, Belgium and Ireland. The Continent, while ahead of the EU and euro area averages, still contends with country-by-country differences that shape household costs across Europe.
According to data from Eurostat, Spain’s domestic consumers, with annual electricity use between 2,500 and 5,000 kWh and taxes included, paid about €0.242 per kWh on average. This figure reflects the situation since 2020 and captures the price level faced by typical households each year, not just in a single quarter.
When inflation is ignored and the focus is on the most recent fiscal year, wholesale market dynamics pushed the price for these households toward roughly €0.257 per kWh for the year as a whole, signaling a sustained rise in energy costs driven by gas markets and related electricity prices.
This represents a 12.4% premium compared with the EU-27 average after the United Kingdom left the Union, where the price stood around €0.229 per kWh, and a 7.15% premium over the euro area average of €0.24 per kWh.
Alongside Spain, five neighboring countries posted above-average household electricity bills last year: Germany at €0.321 per kWh, Denmark at €0.317 per kWh, Belgium at €0.285 per kWh, and Ireland at €0.276 per kWh.
In contrast, Sweden and Italy stayed below the annual Eurozone average with prices near €0.236 and €0.231 per kWh respectively, while Austria at €0.25, Cyprus at €0.214, and Portugal at €0.213 per kWh lagged behind the euro area average.
France kept electricity prices notably lower, just under €0.20 per kWh, with prices hovering around €0.198 per kWh. This reflects a Eurostat picture where the Gaul country faced headwinds from cold weather and the temporary halt in nuclear power production, which pushed wholesale prices to about €3,000 per megawatt hour in certain periods.
13.3% more expensive in Spain than in 2020
Eurostat’s latest release shows how market tensions and macroeconomic conditions, including inflation, affected electricity access and affordability from late 2021 onward. In Spain, electricity prices for local consumers rose by about 13.3% compared with 2020, while the EU average increased by roughly 7.1% and the euro area by about 5.8% over the same interval.
Beyond the Iberian Peninsula, Northern Europe saw notable shifts as well. Estonia and Latvia experienced strong demand and generation pressures, contributing to kWh price increases of about 29.1% (to roughly €0.163) and 15.3% (to about €0.164) respectively, compared with the prior December peak driven by robust demand.
Norway stood out for its heavy reliance on hydroelectric power, a cornerstone of its energy mix, which kept the country in the upper tier of Europe’s electricity pricing narrative even as it remained a major power exporter. The annual average in 2021 surpassed €0.201 per kWh, marking a 50.6% rise from the €0.133 per kWh level of the previous year.
Official statements tied to Eurostat data emphasized that the average price paid by a typical Spanish household in 2021 was about €0.243 per kWh, a modest decrease from 2018 when inflation-adjusted rates are considered. These figures illuminate how policy measures and market dynamics intersect to shape consumer bills in the near term and across the post-pandemic recovery period.