Lisbon, Sept. 18, 2026 (Lusa) - One in five people in Portugal cannot afford the energy they need at home, according to a European study which identifies greater vulnerability among women, people with mental health issues and those living outside Portugal's major urban centres.
The study «Energy Poverty in Europe – Who are the losers in our energy system?», by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation (FES Portugal), compares the situation in Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Sweden, based on a survey carried out as part of the European gEneSys project.
In Portugal, 19% of respondents said they were unable, or found it difficult, to pay for the amount of energy and energy resources needed to meet all their household's needs.
This figure places Portugal amongst the countries with the highest incidence of energy poverty out of the six analysed, second only to France, where the percentage stands at 25%, and slightly above Italy and Poland, both at 18%.
In Germany, 13% of respondents reported difficulties in paying for the necessary energy, whilst Sweden has the lowest figure, at 10%.
The analysis identifies, however, significant differences within each country and concludes that certain social, economic, health and geographical factors increase vulnerability to energy poverty.
In Portugal, the group identified as having the highest incidence is women with mental health problems living in rural areas or medium-sized towns: 33% say they are unable to pay for the energy they need.
At the opposite end of the spectrum are people without mental health problems, with a high level of education and living in large cities, amongst whom the percentage drops to 7%.
Health, in fact, emerges as one of the recurring factors in the analysis. In Portugal, Italy and France, the study points to a link between physical or psychological health limitations and greater exposure to energy poverty.
According to the researchers, some of these people may have higher energy needs, particularly for medical equipment or heating, whilst others are more severely affected by the consequences of poor housing conditions.
Portugal also stands out for the differences between men and women. Around 22% of Portuguese women say they are unable to afford the energy they need, compared with 15% of men.
Gender inequality is particularly evident in Portugal and France, where the gap is even wider: 31% of women face difficulties, compared with 18% of men.
In Portugal and France, the analyses also indicate an increased risk, particularly amongst women with low or medium levels of education and who have, or have had, caregiving responsibilities.
Place of residence is another key factor. Taking the six countries together, 22% of residents in rural areas report being affected by energy poverty, compared with 14% in urban areas.
In rural areas, less energy-efficient detached houses are more common and there is greater reliance on cars, whilst cities benefit from more compact infrastructure.
The research was carried out as part of the European gEneSys project and, for the comparison presented in this publication, responses from 17,889 people across the six countries were taken into account, with the data weighted to ensure representativeness.
The authors note that the analyses are exploratory and do not constitute definitive conclusions, but argue that the patterns identified should be taken into account when formulating public policy.
Among the proposed responses are income- and housing-status-adjusted support for energy costs, energy-efficiency refurbishment of rented homes, the expansion of social tariffs, and specific measures for people with chronic illnesses or disabilities.
The study concludes that energy poverty is not merely an economic problem, but also a social, health and infrastructure issue, and advocates responses targeted at the groups where vulnerability is greatest.
The data for Portugal were presented today in Lisbon at a seminar organised by FES Portugal, in partnership with the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology (DGEG) and the National Observatory on Energy Poverty, under the theme «Energy poverty in Portugal: From recognising vulnerabilities to effective action».
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