Less natural gas consumption in Europe is keeping storage full

Consumption of natural gas in Europe consistently decreased since mid-2022, driven by a combination of mild winter weather and government policies aimed at reducing natural gas consumption. In 2023, natural gas consumption in the European Union’s 27 member countries (EU-27) declined 18% from the previous five-year (2017–21) average according to Eurostat data. During the first five months of 2024 (January–May), consumption remained 19% below the 2017–21 average for the same months.