Overall, the cost of electricity imports accelerated by an average 111.4% for all importing countries since 5 years earlier in 2020 when international purchases of electricity were valued at $29.3 billion.
Year over year, purchases of globally imported electricity reduced by -16.9% compared to $74.7 billion starting from 2023.
The 5 biggest spenders on imported electricity are the European nations Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Hungary and Switzerland. Combined, that powerful quintet bought over one-third (36.5%) worth of all electricity imported during 2024.
From a continental perspective, countries in Europe spent the most on imported electricity during 2024 with purchases costing $47.4 billion or over three-quarters (76.4%) of the world total. In second place were importers located in Asia at 11.3%. Another 5.1% of electricity imported worldwide was delivered to customers in North America.
Buyers in Africa bought 3.9% worth of imported electrical energy, trailed by customers based in Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean at 3.3%.
The islander continent of Oceania including Australia and New Zealand imported no electricity at all.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 2716 for electrical energy.
Top 15 Electricity Importers by Country
Below are the 15 countries that spent the most on imported electricity during 2024.
- Germany: US$7.2 billion (11.5% of total electricity imports)
- Italy: $5.6 billion (9%)
- United Kingdom: $3.94 billion (6.4%)
- Hungary: $3.87 billion (6.2%)
- Switzerland: $2.33 billion (3.7%)
- United States: $2.26 billion (3.6%)
- Thailand: $2.1 billion (3.4%)
- Belgium: $1.8 billion (3%)
- Slovakia: $1.7 billion (2.8%)
- Romania: $1.6 billion (2.6%)
- Netherlands: $1.56 billion (2.5%)
- Spain: $1.48 billion (2.4%)
- Austria: $1.5 billion (2.4%)
- Denmark: $1.32 billion (2.1%)
- Poland: $1.28 billion (2.1%)
By value, the listed 15 countries purchased approaching two-thirds (63.8%) of all electricity imported in 2024.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing markets for electricity since 2023 were: Romania (up 28.1%), Thailand (up 8.3%) and the United Kingdom (up 0.6%).
Listed buyer countries that posted annual declines in their imported electricity purchases were led by: Poland (down -49.1% from 2023), Switzerland (down -43.6%), Austria (down -38.1%) and the United States of America (down -34.5%).
Searchable List of Electricity Importer Countries in 2024
The 103 major importers of electrical energy from international markets accounted for 100% of electricity imported worldwide during 2024.
| Rank | Importer | Electricity Imports | 2023-4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Germany | $7,157,980,000 | -1.3% |
| 2. | Italy | $5,602,203,000 | -22.5% |
| 3. | United Kingdom | $3,943,695,000 | +0.6% |
| 4. | Hungary | $3,870,682,000 | -5% |
| 5. | Switzerland | $2,326,070,000 | -43.6% |
| 6. | United States | $2,256,814,000 | -34.5% |
| 7. | Thailand | $2,128,862,000 | +8.3% |
| 8. | Belgium | $1,830,276,000 | -6.7% |
| 9. | Slovakia | $1,712,868,000 | -2.3% |
| 10. | Romania | $1,642,293,000 | +28.1% |
| 11. | Netherlands | $1,556,201,000 | -26.7% |
| 12. | Spain | $1,484,460,000 | -23.6% |
| 13. | Austria | $1,459,958,000 | -38.1% |
| 14. | Denmark | $1,315,221,000 | -5.4% |
| 15. | Poland | $1,277,313,000 | -49.1% |
| 16. | Croatia | $1,218,395,000 | +28% |
| 17. | Bangladesh | $1,092,453,000 | -23.3% |
| 18. | Portugal | $1,083,845,000 | -16.4% |
| 19. | Brazil | $1,041,125,000 | -1.7% |
| 20. | Greece | $1,023,777,000 | -25.9% |
| 21. | France | $895,133,000 | -70.5% |
| 22. | Slovenia | $891,826,000 | -6% |
| 23. | Hong Kong | $869,852,000 | +4.5% |
| 24. | Canada | $863,956,000 | -27.3% |
| 25. | Czech Republic | $822,849,000 | -14.3% |
| 26. | Lithuania | $768,474,000 | -19.7% |
| 27. | Serbia | $704,102,000 | -16.9% |
| 28. | Ukraine | $669,174,000 | +332.7% |
| 29. | Ireland | $644,139,000 | +32.5% |
| 30. | Macao | $528,952,000 | +4.8% |
| 31. | Argentina | $517,614,000 | -38.1% |
| 32. | Estonia | $511,827,000 | -36% |
| 33. | Norway | $442,171,000 | -43.5% |
| 34. | Latvia | $402,511,000 | -4.2% |
| 35. | Finland | $391,210,000 | -33.9% |
| 36. | Sweden | $370,391,000 | -28% |
| 37. | South Africa | $352,769,000 | +4.5% |
| 38. | Cambodia | $343,950,000 | +41% |
| 39. | Ecuador | $334,501,000 | +17.3% |
| 40. | Vietnam | $327,672,000 | +33.9% |
| 41. | Zambia | $316,677,000 | +3406% |
| 42. | Bulgaria | $314,590,000 | -35% |
| 43. | Kazakhstan | $302,354,000 | +28.1% |
| 44. | Tunisia | $293,897,000 | +31.7% |
| 45. | North Macedonia | $279,813,000 | +20.9% |
| 46. | Mozambique | $209,113,000 | -0.4% |
| 47. | Zimbabwe | $207,681,000 | +15.3% |
| 48. | Mongolia | $197,840,000 | +4.4% |
| 49. | Morocco | $173,071,000 | -22.5% |
| 50. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $172,529,000 | +45.1% |
| 51. | Laos | $170,191,000 | +2127288% |
| 52. | Afghanistan | $166,772,000 | +18.9% |
| 53. | Türkiye | $166,351,000 | -71.4% |
| 54. | Burkina Faso | $163,726,000 | -16.5% |
| 55. | Botswana | $143,803,000 | -9.4% |
| 56. | Guatemala | $140,969,000 | -4.7% |
| 57. | Albania | $137,815,000 | -27.3% |
| 58. | Moldova | $127,662,000 | +123.3% |
| 59. | Uzbekistan | $121,910,000 | -12.6% |
| 60. | Malta | $120,035,000 | +31.8% |
| 61. | Eswatini | $109,674,000 | +28.7% |
| 62. | Kenya | $106,932,000 | +46.4% |
| 63. | China | $104,416,000 | -46.9% |
| 64. | Montenegro | $96,643,000 | +52.9% |
| 65. | Democratic Republic Congo | $95,351,000 | +104.8% |
| 66. | Iran | $82,660,000 | 0% |
| 67. | Russia | $73,174,000 | +35.7% |
| 68. | Nepal | $70,747,000 | +10.3% |
| 69. | Iraq | $69,138,000 | +6685% |
| 70. | Indonesia | $66,934,000 | +10.4% |
| 71. | Libya | $63,709,000 | -36% |
| 72. | Lesotho | $59,907,000 | +35.4% |
| 73. | Syria | $57,010,000 | -2.3% |
| 74. | Mexico | $47,539,000 | -52.1% |
| 75. | Pakistan | $42,087,000 | +204.6% |
| 76. | Myanmar | $33,455,000 | -52.4% |
| 77. | Niger | $31,532,000 | -23.9% |
| 78. | Mali | $28,494,000 | +0.4% |
| 79. | Andorra | $24,889,000 | -44.6% |
| 80. | Jordan | $24,133,000 | -9.1% |
| 81. | Sierra Leone | $22,369,000 | +84.8% |
| 82. | Liberia | $21,460,000 | 0% |
| 83. | El Salvador | $18,934,000 | -39.4% |
| 84. | Georgia | $14,274,000 | +1046% |
| 85. | Tajikistan | $10,930,000 | +10.7% |
| 86. | Rwanda | $10,783,000 | +43.3% |
| 87. | Armenia | $9,260,000 | +1028% |
| 88. | Malaysia | $8,167,000 | +30.3% |
| 89. | Azerbaijan | $6,416,000 | -4.8% |
| 90. | Burundi | $5,534,000 | 0% |
| 91. | Uganda | $4,744,000 | +18.3% |
| 92. | Guinea | $4,575,000 | +76.2% |
| 93. | Colombia | $2,446,000 | -92.7% |
| 94. | Singapore | $1,417,000 | -86.7% |
| 95. | Uruguay | $1,078,000 | -99.2% |
| 96. | North Korea | $33,000 | 0% |
| 97. | Barbados | $5,000 | 0% |
| 98. | Chile | $2,000 | 0% |
| 99. | Congo | $1,000 | -50% |
| 100. | United Arab Emirates | $1,000 | -99.1% |
| 101. | Yemen | $1,000 | 0% |
| 102. | Oman | $1,000 | -66.7% |
| 103. | Saint Pierre/Miquelon | $1,000 | 0% |
Expanding our focus to encompass all importers of electricity, the fastest-growing buyers of imported electricity were Laos (up an astounding 2,127,288% from 2023), Iraq (up 6,685%), Zambia (up 3,406%), Georgia (up 1,046%), Armenia (up 1,028%) then the Ukraine (up 332.7%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the above table’s columns. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that 2024 data was unavailable.
Electricity Imported into Germany
Germany’s global purchases of imported electricity totaled US$7.16 billion in 2024. Below are the top suppliers from which Germany imported the highest dollar value worth of electricity during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- France: US$1.8 billion (up 39% from 2023)
- Switzerland: $969.8 million (up 42.4%)
- Denmark: $966.2 million (2023 data unavailable)
- Austria: $962.7 million (down -19.5%)
- Netherlands: $755.7 million (down -25.1%)
- Norway: $606.6 million (down -4.6%)
- Belgium: $427.5 million (up 39.2%)
- Czech Republic: $371.5 million (down -52.4%)
- Sweden: $259.5 million (down -20.1%)
- Poland: $60.5 million (down -16.9%)
By value, the listed countries shipped 100% of electricity imported by Germany in 2024.
Among the above countries, the growth suppliers of electricity to Germany from 2023 to 2024 were: Switzerland (up 42.4%), Belgium (up 39.2%) and France (up 39%).
Overall, the value of Germany’s imported electricity fell by an average -1.3% from all supplying countries from 2023 to 2024 when electricity purchased cost $7.3 billion.
Electricity Imported into Italy
Italy’s global purchases of imported electricity totaled US$5.6 billion in 2024. Below are the top suppliers from which Italy imported the highest dollar value worth of electricity during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- Switzerland: US$2.3 billion (down -24.5% from 2023)
- France: $2.1 billion (down -19.8%)
- Montenegro: $341.8 million (down -40.2%)
- Slovenia: $312.7 million (down -41.9%)
- Austria: $280 million (up 38%)
- Greece: $276.3 million (up 6.4%)
- Malta: $295,000 (down -90.6%)
By value, the listed countries shipped 100% of electricity imported by Italy in 2024.
Among the above countries, the growth suppliers of electricity to Italy from 2023 to 2024 were: Austria (up 38%) and Greece (up 6.4%).
Overall, the value of Italy’s imported electricity slowed by an average -22.5% from all supplying countries from 2023 to 2024 when electricity purchased cost $7.2 billion.
Electricity Imported into the UK
The United Kingdom’s global purchases of imported electricity totaled US$3.94 billion in 2024. Below are the top suppliers from which the United Kingdom imported the highest dollar value worth of electricity during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- France: US$1.8 billion (down -1.6% from 2023)
- Norway: $904 million (down -13.8%)
- Denmark: $475.9 million (up 15,066%)
- Belgium: $461.1 million (down -3.2%)
- Netherlands: $291.4 million (down -45.8%)
- Ireland: $20.5 million (down -41.4%)
By value, the listed countries shipped 100% of electricity imported by the UK in 2024.
Among the above countries, the lone supplier of electricity to the United Kingdom from 2023 to 2024 was Denmark via a formidable 15,066% acceleration.
Overall, the value of the United Kingdom’s imported electricity flatlined by an average 0.6% rise from all supplying countries from 2023 to 2024 when electricity purchased cost $3.9 billion.
Electricity Imported into Hungary
Hungary’s global purchases of imported electricity totaled US$3.87 billion in 2024. Below are the top suppliers from which Hungary imported the highest dollar value worth of electricity during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- Slovakia: US$1.4 billion (up 12.7% from 2023)
- Austria: $1.3 billion (up 40.9%)
- Serbia: $387.6 million (down -56.9%)
- Romania: $357.4 million (down -42.4%)
- Slovenia: $356.9 million (up 95.3%)
- Croatia: $113.3 million (down -54%)
- Ukraine: $6.1 million (2023 data unavailable)
By value, the listed countries shipped 100% of electricity imported by Hungary in 2024.
Among the above countries, the growth suppliers of electricity to Hungary from 2023 to 2024 were: Slovenia (up 95.3%), Austria (up 40.9%) and Slovakia (up 12.7%).
Overall, the value of Hungary’s imported electricity dropped by an average -5% from all supplying countries from 2023 to 2024 when electricity purchased cost $4.1 billion.
See also Electricity Exports by Country, Italy’s Top Trading Partners, Germany’s Top Trading Partners, France’s Top Trading Partners and United Kingdom’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on February 2, 2026
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on February 2, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on February 2, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on February 2, 2026