Countries With The Most Expensive, & Cheapest Electricity Prices (Electricity Prices Around The World)

In this guide, we outline the countries with the most expensive, and cheapest electricity prices across the world.

What is important to note, is that electricity prices can change over time, and there can be different factors impacting electricity prices at any one time, in any one local place.

The prices below are generally national averages (unless otherwise stated), and will be subject to change over time. They are a general guide only.

 

Summary – Countries With The Most Expensive & Also The Cheapest Electricity

Countries With The Most Expensive Electricity

Based on some of the data below, in 2019, Bermuda, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Jamaica, Japan, Portugal all had some of the most expensive average electricity prices in US cents per kWh (all above 29 US cents per kWh on average).

Although, other data shows in 2018 that places like Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, US Virgin Islands and the Cook Islands had prices above 50 US cents per kWh on average.

 

Countries With The Cheapest Electricity

Based on some of the data below, in 2019, Burma, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Zambia, Azerbaijan and Algeria all had some of the cheapest average electricity prices in US cents per kWh (all below 5 US cents per kWh on average).

Although, other data shows later in 2019, places like Venezuela, Sudan, Ethiopia, Iran, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Libya, Angola and Bhutan all had prices at 2 US cents per kWh average or lower. Venezuela and Sudan were at zero. 

 

Global Average Electricity Prices

For some context, in 2019, the global average price for electricity was 0.15 US Dollars per KWh.

 

Additional Notes About Electricity Prices

Different countries may have higher or lower average electricity prices compared to the global average

Additionally, different States, provinces, cities, and towns within a country may all have different electricity prices to one another depending on various factors and variables that can impact electricity prices within a specific geographic location, over a specific time period (i.e. weekly, monthly, yearly, and so on).

This guide for example shows the different electricity prices in the different States across the United States

There are a range of different factors that can impact the price of electricity in any given geographic location, at any given time (electricity prices can be very time sensitive in some places)

Electricity rates and rate structures are generally a reflection not only of the energy sources used for an electricity grid, but the overall service to deliver electricity to end consumers, taking into account everything that is required to operate within the local electricity grid (and also with external electricity grids if electricity is imported, sold or traded)

The prices in the guide below are country averages, as of a specific year, in a specific currency. They are usually expressed as per KWh.

These prices can certainly change over time as electricity price factors and variables change

What should also be taken account is the cost of living, purchasing power parity, taxes and subsidies, retail discounts, and adjusted exchange rates.

When these factors are taken into account – an average day’s electricity usage by a household can make up a higher % of the average wage in one geographic location compared to another. 

There’s also a difference in the raw supply price of electricity, and the end price charged by the electricity retailer to the end use consumer

Although cheap electricity prices are good in some ways, and can be a sign of a power grid that efficiently produces and delivers electricity, it can also be a sign of potential drawbacks too.

As just one example, very cheap electricity may be a sign of a power grid that mainly runs on older coal power plants that can be highly polluting (compared to newer power plants with filters and other devices to reduce air pollution and emissions).

Additionally, some cities may pay more money (or even pay taxes) for services such as upgrades (to power lines etc) that ensure a better quality and more reliable service.

 

Global Average Electricity Price

In March 2019, the average price of electricity globally was 0.15 US Dollars per KWh (globalpetrolprices.com)

 

Countries With Most Expensive Electricity Prices

As of March 2019, some of the countries with the most expensive average prices of electricity (in USD per kWh) were:

Bermuda – 0.40 (40 US cents per kWh)

Germany – 0.35

Denmark – 0.34

Belgium – 0.32

Jamaica – 0.30

Japan – 0.29

Portugal – 0.29

Ireland – 0.26

Italy – 0.26

Barbados – 0.26

El Salvador – 0.25

Spain – 0.25

Guatemala – 0.25

Australia – 0.25

Liechtenstein – 0.25

Netherlands – 0.25

Czech Republic – 0.23

UK – 0.23

Uruguay – 0.22

Belize – 0.22

Austria – 0.22

Peru – 0.21

New Zealand – 0.21

Uganda – 0.21

Switzerland – 0.21

Luxembourg – 0.21

– globalpetrolprices.com

 

globalpetrolprices.com has since updated their cheapest electricity prices in December 2019, and it shows some of the cheapest electricity prices in different countries as (kWh, US Dollar):

Venezuela – 0.00

Sudan – 0.00

Ethiopia – 0.01

Iran – 0.01

Cuba – 0.01

Zimbabwe – 0.01

Libya – 0.01

Angola – 0.02

Bhutan – 0.02

… there’s also several other countries under 5 US cents per kWh

 

As of 2018, the countries with the most expensive electricity prices (in US cents per kWh) were:

Solomon Islands – 99 (US cents per kWh)

Vanuatu – 60

US Virgin Islands – 51.9

Cook Islands – 50.2

Tonga – 47

Jamaica – 44.7

Niue – 44.3

Marshall Islands – 41.6

Tuvalu – 36.6

Germany – 35

Denmark – 33

Kiribati – 32.7

Belgium – 29.1

Netherlands – 

Italy – 28.4

– worldatlas.com

 

Countries With Cheapest Electricity Prices

As of March 2019, some of the countries with the cheapest average prices of electricity (in USD per kWh) were:

Burma – 0.02 (2 US cents per kWh)

Iran – 0.03

Iraq – 0.03

Qatar – 0.03

Egypt – 0.03

Kazakhstan – 0.04

Zambia – 0.04

Azerbaijan – 0.04

Algeria – 0.04

Trinidad & Tobago – 0.05

Ukraine – 0.05

Afghanistan – 0.05

Saudi Arabia – 0.05

Pakistan – 0.05

Bahrain – 0.05

Georgia – 0.06

Bangladesh – 0.06

Ghana – 0.06

Malaysia – 0.06

Russia – 0.07

Tunisia – 0.07

Nigeria – 0.07

Vietnam – 0.07

India – 0.08

Mexico – 0.08

Macedonia – 0.08

China – 0.08

Nepal – 0.08

Serbia – 0.08

United Arab Emirates – 0.08

Sri Lanka – 0.08

Armenia – 0.08

– globalpetrolprices.com

 

Average Electricity Price In The United States

The avg. electricity price in the US in March 2019 was:

0.14 USD (14 US cents) per kWh (globalpetrolprices.com)

 

The avg. electricity price in the US in 2017 was:

10.4 US cents per kWh retail price (eia.gov)

 

Average Electricity Price In Other Countries Of Note

In select economies in 2017, electricity prices (in USD per MWh) were:

Germany – 344

Italy – 263

Australia – 237

Japan – 227

UK – 206

Brazil – 200

France – 187

Singapore – 160

USA – 129

Turkey – 113

Morocco – 111

Korea – 109

Canada – 109

South Africa – 101

Argentina – 87

Indonesia – 79

China – 78

India – 75

Mexico – 64

Russia – 63

Saudi Arabia – 23

Turkmenistan – 0

– iea.org

 

Electricity prices in 2018, in U.S. dollars per kilowatt hour, were:

Germany – 0.33

Belgium – 0.28

Italy – 0.27

Portugal – 0.26

Spain – 0.24

Austria – 0.23

UK – 0.22

Japan – 0.22

Sweden – 0.21

New Zealand – 0.20

France – 0.19

Netherlands – 0.18

Colombia – 0.18

Finland – 0.18

Poland – 0.16

Turkey – 0.15

US – 0.13

Brazil – 0.13

South Korea – 0.12

Canada – 0.11

Indonesia – 0.10

South Africa – 0.09

India – 0.08

China – 0.08

Argentina – 0.01

– statista.com

 

Wikipedia has a list of electricity prices globally in a table at wikipedia.org

You can sort the table for cheapest to most expensive, or vice versa.

 

Considering Purchasing Power Parity With Electricity Prices

The above data is based on pure USD amounts.

What is not considered is cost of living and purchasing power of the different countries.

You can view purchasing power parity in relation to electricity prices for different countries at IEA.org

As one example, we can see Australia’s raw electricity price average is higher than that of Brazil, Singapore, Morocco and Turkey, but all of these countries have more expensive electricity when considering cost of living, purchasing power parity, adjusted exchange rates, etc.

 

Affordability Of Electricity In Different Countries

energycouncil.com.au has a good graph that shows the portion of a day’s wages needed to buy the average day of electricity usage in different countries i.e. how affordable electricity is in different countries.

Some of the more affordable countries were:

Norway – 0.93% of day’s wages needed

Canada – 1%

US – 1.24%

Switzerland – 1.39%

Luxembourg – 1.69%

Korea – 2.08%

Finland – 2.25%

Australia – 2.27%

Sweden – 2.27%

 

And, some of the least affordable countries were:

Portugal – 8.84% of day’s wages needed

Slovak Republic – 8.2%

Poland – 7.94%

Hungary – 7.38%

Czech Republic – 7.26%

Mexico – 6.59%

Estonia – 6.08%

Greece – 6.08%

 

… But, Don’t Just Look At National Averages – Look At State Based Electricity Prices Too

Looking at electricity prices by country may not be specific or deep enough because prices can vary by State and cities as well.

Electricity prices can shoot up or down significantly in each State compared to the national average.

Two good examples of this are in the United States, and Australia. 

 

State based electricity prices in the US can be seen at eia.gov. They can also be seen in this guide

Hawaii, California, Alaska, and Massachusetts are among those States with some of the highest electricity prices.

 

State based electricity prices in Australia can be seen at https://gobulk.com.au/australian-electricity-prices/. They can also be seen in this guide

South Australia currently has the highest electricity prices.

 

Trends In Electricity Prices & Affordability Over Time

spectrum.ieee.org has a good article that breaks down some of the trends of electricity prices over time.

Part of what they mention is that although ‘a dollar now buys nearly 44 times as much electricity as it did in 1902’, new energy sources like solar and wind in some countries are changing the affordability of electricity.

They also have an interesting graph that shows electricity prices, luminous efficacy, manufacturing wages, and affordability index from the year 1900 to the year 2020.

 

 

Sources

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_pricing

2. https://www.energycouncil.com.au/analysis/electricity-prices-around-the-world-what-is-the-impact-of-renewable-charges/

3. https://www.globalpetrolprices.com/Democratic-Republic-of-the-Congo/electricity_prices/

4. https://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/

5. https://www.iea.org/statistics/prices/

6. https://gobulk.com.au/australian-electricity-prices/

7. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/electricity-rates-around-the-world.html

8. https://www.statista.com/statistics/263492/electricity-prices-in-selected-countries/

9. https://www.globalpetrolprices.com/electricity_prices/

10. https://www.energycouncil.com.au/analysis/worldwide-electricity-prices-how-does-australia-compare/

11. https://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/policy/electricity-its-wonderfully-affordable-but-its-no-longer-getting-any-cheaper

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