Greek households ranked #1, Cyprus #6 for inability to pay utility bills

More than a third of households in Greece (36%) had experienced problems paying their utility bills on time during the last 12 months of 2018 according to the latest research data published today by Eurostat.

Greece ranked #1 with Bulgaria second at 30.1%, followed by Croatia (17.5%), Romania (14.4%), Slovenia (12.5%) and Cyprus in 6^thplace at 12.2%.

In contrast, few households had been unable to pay their utility bills on time in the Netherlands, Czechia, Sweden, and Austria (all around 2%).

According to the data, in 2018, almost 7% of households had been unable to pay utility bills (heating, electricity, gas, water, etc.) on time, due to financial difficulties. However, this share has fallen steadily in the EU as a whole, from over 10% of households in 2013.

Among households, in particular, those with dependent children faced difficulties in paying utility bills on time. In the EU, just below 14% of households consisting of a single adult with dependent children faced such difficulties in 2018, compared to less than 3% of households consisting of two adults (with at least one of them 65 years or older). Among households with two or three adults and dependent children, this share was around 11%.