Household energy costs put Moldova ahead of regional neighbours
Residents of Moldova spend an average of $695 per person on electricity, natural gas and heating, according to an infographic published by Visual Capitalist. The figure covers every resident, from infants to pensioners, and highlights the burden of household energy costs in one of Europe’s poorer countries.
By European Union standards, the amount is not especially high. Residents of Sweden pay an average of $1,926 per person, while those in Finland spend $1,786, although both are northern countries with colder climates and far higher household incomes.
The comparison is less favourable for Moldova when measured against countries in south-eastern Europe. Average household energy costs stand at $464 per person in Romania, $444 in Bulgaria, $378 in Hungary and $247 in Albania.
Moldovans therefore pay considerably more for these services than residents of several wealthier countries in the region. The difference is particularly striking because incomes in Moldova remain significantly lower.
According to the World Bank figures cited in the article, Moldova’s annual GDP per capita is $8,622. In Albania, another country waiting to join the European Union, the figure is $12,998, while in neighbouring Romania it reaches $22,538.
The figures suggest that nominal household energy costs alone do not show the full scale of the burden. When income levels are taken into account, Moldovans appear to devote a far greater share of their limited resources to electricity, gas and heating than many of their regional neighbours.
