Nearly one in five residents in Greece and Bulgaria struggle to keep their homes warm. Both countries rank among the EU member states most affected by energy poverty, unable to maintain adequate heating.

The surge in energy-poor households across Europe is linked to disruptions in energy markets following Russia’s war in Ukraine. Currently, 41 million Europeans, or 9.2% of the EU population, face challenges affording sufficient heat.

The situation is more severe in non-EU Western Balkans. In Albania, 33.8% of residents cannot adequately heat their homes, while in North Macedonia the figure stands at 30.7%, leaving roughly a third of the population exposed to winter health risks.

By contrast, Finland reports the lowest energy poverty in the EU, with just 2.7% of households affected.

In absolute numbers, Turkey has the highest energy-poor population, with nearly 13 million people, despite offering some of the cheapest electricity and natural gas prices in euros (1 MWh of electricity ≈ €40, gas ≈ €30 per MWh). Spain has 8.5 million energy-poor citizens, France 8.1 million, Germany 5.3 million, and Italy 5.1 million.

In Bulgaria, about 1.2 million people cannot afford sufficient home heating. Comparatively, Romania has 2 million energy-poor residents, and Greece 1.9 million. The widespread energy insecurity highlights the persistent vulnerability of southern and southeastern European households to rising energy costs.