Malta has recorded the largest increase in household electricity consumption in the European Union, with usage rising by 66% between 2015 and 2024.
According to Eurostat, electricity consumed by EU households increased by just 3% overall during the same period, putting Malta’s growth well ahead of every other member state.
Estonia recorded the second-largest increase at 36%, followed by Slovenia at 33%. At the other end of the scale, household electricity consumption fell by 11% in Luxembourg, 10% in Belgium and 7% in Sweden.
What Does Malta’s 66% Increase Actually Mean?
The statistic measures electricity consumption across Malta’s household sector as a whole.
It does not mean that every individual Maltese household is using 66% more electricity than it did nine years ago.
Malta has experienced substantial population and household growth over the period, meaning there are considerably more homes consuming electricity today. National Statistics Office data confirms the continued expansion of Malta’s resident population, while ODYSSEE-MURE identifies demographic growth as a major factor behind rising residential energy demand.
More Households Are A Major Factor
A separate analysis by ODYSSEE-MURE found that Malta’s residential final energy consumption increased by around 68% between 2010 and 2023.
It identified a 50% increase in the number of households as the primary reason behind that growth.
The analysis also found increasing energy use linked to air conditioning and household appliances, with greater demand for thermal comfort — particularly space cooling — contributing to consumption growth.
Electricity consumption per dwelling has also been influenced by greater use of technologies such as reversible air-to-air heat pumps, which can provide both cooling and heating. At the same time, improvements in energy efficiency have helped offset part of the additional demand.
Malta Also Has Some Of The EU’s Cheapest Electricity
The figures come against the backdrop of relatively low household electricity prices in Malta.
According to Eurostat, Maltese households paid an average €13.01 per 100 kWh in the second half of 2024, compared with an EU average of €28.72. Only Hungary and Bulgaria recorded lower nominal prices.
When adjusted for purchasing power, Malta actually recorded the lowest household electricity price in the EU, at 14.33 purchasing power standard units per 100 kWh.
Those price figures provide useful context, although Eurostat does not identify electricity prices as the cause of Malta’s 66% increase.
Malta Relies Heavily On Electricity At Home
Electricity also plays an unusually important role in Maltese households compared with much of Europe.
Eurostat data for 2024 shows that electricity accounted for 78.8% of household energy consumption in Malta, the highest reliance on electricity among EU countries.
The broader picture therefore appears to involve several factors rather than one simple explanation: a larger population, more households, greater demand for cooling and appliances, and Malta’s particularly strong reliance on electricity for residential energy needs. ODYSSEE-MURE also notes that household energy efficiency has improved, offsetting some of the additional demand.
So while the 66% figure is striking, it should not be interpreted as Maltese families individually becoming 66% more wasteful.
What it shows is that Malta’s residential sector as a whole now consumes significantly more electricity than it did in 2015 and its increase has been faster than anywhere else in the EU.
