With fuel prices on the rise worldwide, Latvians are being squeezed at the pumps even more than most other motorists in the European Union, according to new Eurostat data for September.
On a monthly basis, in September 2026, EU consumers saw diesel prices increase by 5.9% and petrol by 6.7%, compared with the previous month. In August 2026, diesel prices increased by 8.3%, and petrol by 3.3% relative to July 2026.
Between August and September 2026, diesel prices increased in 26 EU countries. The highest increases were registered in Sweden (+12.8%), Latvia (+10.3%) and Poland (+9.7%). The lowest increases were in Spain (+2.4%), Croatia (+2.5%) and Romania (+3.0%).
When it comes to petrol prices, 26 countries also recorded increases in prices between August and September 2026. The largest increases were in Sweden (+13.8%), Poland (+9.7%) and Estonia (+9.5%), while the smallest were in Cyprus (+3.8%), Romania (+4.2%) and Slovenia (+4.6%).
Latvia's petrol price rise was +8.3%.
Taking a longer view, the pain at the pumps becomes even more acute. In September 2026, the price of fuels and lubricants for personal transport in the EU increased by 31.4% compared with September 2025. This followed the year-on-year increases of 16.9% in July and 23.8% in August.
September annual increases were higher than those in July and August 2026 in 26 EU countries.
In September 2026, compared with September 2025, 3 EU countries recorded price increases higher than 40%, namely Bulgaria (+42.2%), Estonia (+40.6%) and Lithuania (+40.2%). Another 12 EU countries registered increases higher than 30%, including Latvia on 35.4%. The lowest price increase was recorded in Hungary (+6.9%), followed at a distance by Ireland (+17.7%) and Sweden (+19.9%).
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