Extra-EU natural gas import share from Russia 2010-2024

Russia accounted for over 16 percent of the value of natural gas imports into the European Union (EU) from non-EU countries in the first quarter of 2024. The share was higher than in the corresponding period of the previous year, but significantly lower than in 2021. The decrease was due to the Western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and the reduction of gas supplies by Gazprom to Europe. 

Which EU countries import gas from Russia?

In 2023, the EU imported 27 billion cubic meters of natural gas via pipelines from Russia, compared to 140 billion cubic meters in 2021. Among the EU countries, Germany was by far the largest importer of natural gas from Russia. Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries such as Poland, Czechia, and Hungary also ranked in the top 10 before the war in Ukraine given their high dependence on Russian gas. After the onset of the war in 2022, Turkey and China emerged as some of the largest buyers of Russian pipeline gas. 

The future of natural gas in a climate-neutral Europe

Gas continues to be the second-most important primary energy source in the EU, after petroleum-based products. However, to stay within the Paris Agreement’s target of 1.5 degrees Celsius, the EU is actively looking for ways to accelerate the transition to more renewable sources of energy, including the adoption of the European Green Deal and the Commission’s "Fit for 55" proposal and RePowerEU plan. Under these sustainable scenarios, the European gas demand is estimated to fall from 617 billion cubic meters in 2018 to 380 billion cubic meters in 2040.