Ukraine outpaced the EU in fuel price growth
Prices for fuel and lubricants in Ukraine in July 2026 were 28% higher than a year earlier. In the European Union, the same category of goods increased by an average of 16.9% over this period. Thus, the Ukrainian indicator exceeded the EU average by 11.1 percentage points.
This is evidenced by comparison of data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine and Eurostat. The European statistical office includes in category CP0722 fuel and lubricants for personal transport equipment, including petrol and diesel fuel.
In July, annual price growth for this category was recorded in 25 of the 27 EU countries. The highest indicator was in Romania - 24.2%. In Germany and Lithuania, prices rose by 22.9%, in Bulgaria - by 22.2%, in the Netherlands - by 22%, in Finland - by 20.5%.
Thus, if comparing solely the pace of price changes, Ukraine's 28% exceeds the indicator of each EU country. The gap from Romania, which topped the European list, is 3.8 percentage points.
| Country / region | Price change over year |
|---|---|
| Ukraine | +28.0% |
| Romania | +24.2% |
| Germany | +22.9% |
| Lithuania | +22.9% |
| Bulgaria | +22.2% |
| Netherlands | +22.0% |
| Finland | +20.5% |
| EU average | +16.9% |
At the same time, the gap between Ukraine and the EU formed not only in July. Data for the last five months show that annual growth rates of fuel and lubricants prices in Ukraine were higher than the European average throughout this period.
| Month | Ukraine | EU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | +23.4% | +12.9% | +10.5 p.p. |
| April | +36.1% | +20.8% | +15.3 p.p. |
| May | +38.7% | +20.7% | +18.0 p.p. |
| June | +33.4% | +13.7% | +19.7 p.p. |
| July | +28.0% | +16.9% | +11.1 p.p. |
In Ukraine, the strongest acceleration occurred in the spring. According to the State Statistics Service, in March alone fuel and lubricants rose by 13.2% compared to February, and in April - by another 7.9%. In May, growth slowed to 0.6%, after which prices decreased by 1.6% in June and by another 0.1% in July.
Despite the decline over the last two months, the accumulated price increase remains significant. From January to July 2026, prices for fuel and lubricants in Ukraine increased by approximately 26.5% compared to December last year.
At the same time, directly incorporating Ukraine into the Eurostat country ranking is not correct. European indicators are calculated according to the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), common for EU countries, while Ukraine's 28% is the national consumer price index of the State Statistics Service. The product categories are close in content, so the data allow comparing the scale and direction of price dynamics, but this is not an official Eurostat ranking.
Based on: Eurostat, Eurostat, State Statistics Service of Ukraine
