Energy dependence (i33)

  •  30/11/2023
  • objective 
  •  assessment 

In 2021, Belgiumʹs energy dependence, the ratio between net energy imports and energy consumption, amounted to 71%. To achieve the sustainable development goal by 2030, this figure must decrease. Between 2000 and 2021, the trend is undetermined (assessment of November 2023).

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Energy dependence - Belgium and international comparison

percentage of energy consumption

 1990199520002005201020152016202020212021//19902021//20162021//2000
Belgium75.180.878.279.978.684.175.978.070.8-0.2-1.4-0.5
EU27----56.357.855.856.156.257.555.5---0.2-0.1
//: Average Growth Rates

Eurostat (2023), Energy dependence [sdg_07_50], https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat (consulted on27/09/2023).

Definition: energy dependence is calculated as the ratio between net energy imports (imports less exports) and energy consumption in Belgium. This consumption is the sum of the gross domestic energy consumption (mainly made up of the energy production in Belgium and imports, less exports) and marine bunkers (fuel provided to ships for international journeys). Data are obtained from Eurostat.

Goal: the energy dependence of Belgium must decrease.

The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs adopted by the UN in 2015 include goal 7: “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”.

The Federal Long-Term Strategic Vision for Sustainable Development includes objective 20: “The security of energy supply shall be ensured” (Belgian Official Gazette, 08/10/2013).

International comparison: comparing the energy dependence of Belgium and that of the European Union (EU27) shows that the latter is much less dependent on imports: 55.5.% in 2021. When Member States are divided into three groups, Belgium is part of the least performing group in 2021. In that year, Estonia ranked first with 1.4% and Malta last with 97.1%.

UN indicator: the selected indicator does not correspond to any monitoring indicator for the SDGs but is related to goal 7. Energy dependence is a major challenge for countries having few energy resources, like Belgium. Reducing energy dependence allows, among other things, to ensure a reliable energy supply.

Sources

More information is available in French and Dutch.