Where does the EU's gas come from?
The EU imports most of its natural gas. In recent years, EU member states have reduced their dependence on Russian gas, replacing it with increased imports from Norway, the United States and Algeria.
Moving away from Russian gas
Over the last few years, the European Union has tangibly reduced its dependence on Russian fossil fuels, following Russia's unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and its weaponisation of energy.
Diversification is a lengthy and costly process which requires investment in infrastructure – for example, building new pipelines and LNG terminals. However, the EU and its member states are acting fast.
Russia's share of EU imports of pipeline gas dropped from around 40% in 2021 to around 6% in 2025. For pipeline gas and LNG combined, Russia accounted for around 12% of total EU gas imports in 2025.
In January 2026, the Council adopted a regulation to prohibit both LNG and pipeline gas imports from Russia starting from 18 March 2026, with transition periods for existing contracts. By the end of 2027, all Russian gas imports will be prohibited.
This shift away from Russian gas is made possible mainly thanks to a sharp increase in LNG imports from other countries and an overall reduction in gas consumption in the EU.
The chart below shows the volume of gas imported by the EU in billion cubic metres.
Bar chart comparing gas supply from main partners to the EU in 2021, 2023 and 2025
Imports from Russia declined from over 150 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2021 to 36 bcm in 2025. This was mainly compensated for by increasing imports from other partners. Imports from Norway grew from 79.5 bcm in 2021 to 89.3 in 2025. Imports from the US increased from 18.9 bcm in 2021 to 75.6 bcm in 2025.
Source: European Commission calculation based on LSEG (Refinitiv) and ENTSO-G
Top gas suppliers in 2025
Norway was the top supplier of gas to the EU in 2025, providing almost one third of all gas imports.
Other suppliers included the United States, Algeria, the UK, Azerbaijan and Russia.
Treemap showing market shares and values (in billion cubic metres) for various suppliers of gas to the EU in 2025.
- Norway: 30.9% – 89.3 bcm
- United States: 26.2% – 75.6 bcm
- North Africa: 12.7% – 36.7 bcm
- Russia: 12.5% – 36.0 bcm
- United Kingdom: 4.4% – 12.8 bcm
- Azerbaijan: 3.9% – 11.3 bcm
- Qatar: 3.7% – 10.6 bcm
- Others: 5.7% – 16.4 bcm
Source: European Commission calculation based on LSEG (Refinitiv) and ENTSO-G
Growing LNG imports
In 2025, the EU imported over 140 billion cubic metres (bcm) of LNG, according to Bruegel data.
The United States was the largest supplier of LNG to the EU, accounting for almost 58% of total LNG imports. Imports from the US tripled between 2021 and 2025.
The largest LNG importers in the EU are:
- France
- Spain
- Italy
- the Netherlands
- Belgium
Some of these LNG imports are re-exported to other countries.
Why is gas so important for the EU and for Europeans?
Gas is mainly used for power generation, household heating and industrial processes. Around 30% of households in the EU are heated using gas. The EU's demand for natural gas declined by over 19% between 2021 and 2024.
Gas consumption in the EU
Pie chart showing how gas is used in the EU. Around 30% is used for electricity and heat generation, almost 25% is used by households, 25% is used by industry and 11% is used by the services sector. Other energy and non-energy use accounts for around 9%.
See also
How did the EU respond to the 2022 energy crisis?
Ending Russian energy imports
Liquefied natural gas infrastructure in the EU
Last review: 13 April 2026