Rural areas support
55% of all employment in EU27
Country data
BELGIUM
Heating oil consumption is high, accounting for 35% of final energy consumption, the second most consumed fuel after natural gas. [DG Energy]
DENMARK
The majority (74%) of homes are old, built before 1980. Those without district heating are commonly heated with oil or biomass. [StatBank Denmark]
FRANCE
The rural building stock is old and inefficient, with 69% of oil-heated properties built before 1975. [Insee]
GERMANY
The building stock is old, mainly built before 1978 (73%), and rural homes have a far higher energy demand for heating. [Destatis]
IRELAND
One of the highest proportions (41%) of the population living in rural areas in the EU, with most heating fuelled by oil, at 36%. [SEAI]
ITALY
87% of rural air quality station reported PM2.5 emissions above guidelines in 2017, correlating with estimated cost of €11.5b. [European Environment Agency and DEFRA]
POLAND
Coal is the most consumed residential fuel, weighing in at 50% of final energy consumption. [DG Energy]
SPAIN
Nearly 10% of the population in ‘thinly populated’ areas are unable to keep their home adequately warm. [EPOV]
SWEDEN
The majority (64%) of Sweden’s building stock is old, built before 1971, and requires energy efficiency renovations. [SCB (Statistics Sweden) and iBRoad]
THE NETHERLANDS
Gas consumption is very high due to the natural resources, with 86% of final energy consumption for rural heating provided by gas. [DG Energy]
UNITED KINGDOM
10% of UK homes are unable to afford their energy bills and 16% of England’s off-grid homes are in fuel poverty. [BEIS, SHCS and Welsh Government]