Increase in imports of liquified gas, drop in petroleum

In the first quarter of 2025, the EU imported €95.3 billion worth of energy products, amounting to a total of 176.4 million tonnes. Compared with the first quarter of 2024, the value of imports increased slightly by 0.3%, while the volume decreased by 3.9%.

A closer look at year-on-year developments in the first quarter shows a decline in both value (-11.9%) and volume (-8.0%) of imported petroleum.

In contrast, imported liquefied gas recorded a sharp increase in value (+45.3%) and volume (+12.1%). Meanwhile, the value of imported natural gas in gaseous state rose (+19.0%), although the volume decreased (-12.1%).

Source dataset:   Comext and Eurostat estimates

When comparing monthly averages in the first quarter of 2025 with the averages from 2024, imports of petroleum oils recorded a decrease of 9.4% in value and 7.1% in volume. At the same time, large changes were recorded for natural gas – imports of liquified gas increased by 55.0% in value and 24.7% in volume, while imports of gas in gaseous state increased by 6.4% in value but dropped 13.8% in volume.

Key fuel suppliers: the United States and Norway 

In the first quarter of 2025, the largest partners for EU imports of petroleum oils were the United States (15.0% of imports in value), Norway (13.5%) and Kazakhstan (12.7%).

Half of the imports of liquefied natural gas were from the United States (50.7% of all imports in value), ahead of Russia (17.0%) and Qatar (10.8%).

More than half of the natural gas in gaseous state was imported from Norway (52.6%). Algeria followed with 19.4%, ahead of Russia with 11.1%.