Bulgaria ranked first in the European Union for the affordability of natural gas for non-household consumers during the first half of 2026. The average price in the country was €0.0438 per kilowatt-hour, according to Eurostat data published on November 4. Belgium followed with €0.0439 per kWh.

The average price for businesses across the European Union was €0.0616 per kWh. Natural gas in Bulgaria was therefore approximately 28.9% cheaper than the EU average. The highest prices were recorded in Sweden at €0.1118 per kWh, Finland at €0.0945, and the Netherlands at €0.0839. Sweden’s price was 81% above the EU average.

The decline was part of a broader European trend. Prices for non-household consumers fell in 24 of the 25 member states with available data. Sweden was the only exception, recording an increase of 3.1%.

Bulgaria was among the five countries with the most significant year-on-year decreases. Larger declines were reported in Belgium and France, both at 13.1%, Lithuania at 12.5%, and Hungary at 11.6%. Bulgaria’s decrease was 10.8% compared with the first six months of 2025.

At EU level, the average price of gas for businesses fell by 6.7% year on year. Compared with the second half of 2025, however, it rose by 1.8%. Taxes and charges accounted for 17.5% of the final price in the first half of 2026, up from 15.9% in the previous six-month period and 16.4% a year earlier. The overall price decrease therefore did not necessarily mean a lower fiscal burden.

The figures also show a substantial reduction for Bulgarian households. The price of natural gas for residential consumers fell by 14.5% compared with the first half of 2025. This was the largest annual decrease in the European Union. Greece followed with an 11.3% decline and Spain with 10%.

The average price for Bulgarian households during the first six months of 2026 was €0.0654 per kWh, compared with an EU average of €0.1103. Household gas in Bulgaria was approximately 40.7% cheaper than the European average. The lowest prices were recorded in Hungary at €0.0330, Croatia at €0.0502, and Romania at €0.0594 per kWh. Sweden had the highest price, at €0.2201.

Bulgaria recorded the largest annual fall in household gas prices, but it was not among the three countries with the cheapest gas. This distinction is important when assessing the country’s position in European energy statistics.

Compensation and price-support measures for natural gas in Bulgaria ended by July 1, 2023. No subsidies affecting the price of the fuel were in place in 2025. The reported figures therefore cannot be explained by an active general natural-gas subsidy scheme.

At European level, the data point to a gradual retreat from the price peaks reached during the 2022 energy crisis. For non-household consumers, the historical maximum was €0.0867 per kWh in the second half of 2022, while the average in the first half of 2026 was €0.0616. For households, the EU average was €0.1103 per kWh, the lowest level in four years.

Bulgaria follows this trend with one of the most significant price reductions for both businesses and households. The figures show a favorable position compared with European averages, while also indicating that a low price for non-household consumers does not automatically mean equal affordability for every consumer group.

Source: btvnovinite.bg