The impact of the Strait of Hormuz crisis on EU citizens: fuel prices rise by 20.7 per cent in May 2026

Brussels – For European citizens’ pockets, the impact of the war in the Middle East and the resulting crisis in the Strait of Hormuz is certainly being felt. This is demonstrated by Eurostat data, the European Union’s statistical office, showing that in May 2026 there have been substantial increases across the EU in the prices of fuels and lubricants (+20.7 per cent), diesel (29.0 per cent) and petrol (16.2 per cent) compared with the same period in 2025. 

With the start of the war on 28 February, fuel and lubricant prices in the EU have suffered the direct and immediate consequences of the blockade on shipping traffic in the Gulf. In March and April 2026, fuel prices rose by 12.9 per cent and 20.8 per cent, respectively, compared with the same period the previous year. 

In four Member States, Eurostat recorded increases of more than 30 per cent: these are Bulgaria (+33.9 per cent), Luxembourg (+32.2 per cent), Lithuania (+30.8 per cent), and Romania (+30.4 per cent). The lowest increase was recorded in Hungary (+3.5 per cent), while increases in the remaining countries ranged from +12.7 per cent in Poland to +29.2 per cent in France. Italy experienced growth below the European average: 16.9 per cent compared with May 2025. 

Specifically, diesel and petrol prices are putting a strain on European citizens’ wallets, at 29.0 per cent and 16.2 per cent respectively, compared with the previous May. However, on a month-on-month basis, EU consumers have seen diesel prices fall by 5.8 per cent, while petrol prices have risen again, albeit by only 0.8 per cent compared with April 2026. In April 2026, diesel prices rose by 7.9 per cent and petrol prices by 2.4 per cent compared with March 2026. 

Between April and May 2026, diesel prices rose only in Romania (+1.6 per cent) and fell in the remaining EU countries. The largest falls were recorded in Germany (-11.9 per cent), Greece (-8.5 per cent), Estonia (-8.4 per cent), and Ireland (-8.1 per cent), while the smallest decreases were recorded in Bulgaria (-0.7 per cent), Hungary (-0.9 per cent), and Cyprus (-1.5 per cent). 

As regards petrol prices, 23 EU countries recorded increases between April and May 2026, ranging from +6.9 per cent in Italy to +0.1 per cent in Croatia and Hungary. Germany (-5.6 per cent), Ireland (-2.0 per cent) and Sweden (-0.7 per cent), on the other hand, recorded decreases in May compared with the previous month.