Millions of Germans are unable to pay electricity and gas bills
About 4.2 million people in Germany reported that their households were unable to pay their electricity and gas bills, and that they had unpaid bills to energy companies since 2024.
According to calculations by the Federal Statistical Office, this percentage equates to 5% of the population, compared to 5.4% last year.
The bureau found that people living in rented housing are more likely to default on utility bills than households living in owned housing, despite the fact of that in 2025, there was some declines in household energy costs.
In August 2025, household electricity, gas, heating fuels, central heating, and solid fuels such as wood and coal were 2.3% lower than the same period last year.
However, energy prices remain relatively high after their dramatic increase in 2022 following the war in Ukraine.
Higher electricity and gas bills aren’t the only burden on households, as the Statistical Office found that many people don’t have enough money to cover unexpected major expenses of €1,250 ($1,480) or more.
In 2024, only 32.2% of Germany’s population lived in households unable to cover these expenses, such as repairing or replacing faulty household appliances, from their own resources.
