Electricity costs half as much in America as in Europe, and even less in China.

Error detected

The claim that electricity costs 'even less in China' than in America is FALSE for industrial electricity prices: in 2024, Chinese industrial electricity (€0.082/kWh) was approximately 9% more expensive than US industrial electricity (€0.075/kWh), according to BusinessEurope data.

The 'half as much' comparison is imprecise for both industrial prices (US is ~38% of EU, i.e. less than half) and household prices (US is ~67% of EU, i.e. more than half). The actual ratio differs from 50% by at least 12 percentage points under either metric.

Omissions

• The claim does not specify whether it refers to industrial or household electricity prices, which yield materially different comparisons.
• The claim omits a time period; the most recent comparable data is from 2024.
• For industrial prices, the US-EU gap is substantially larger than 'half' — US prices are actually about 38% of EU levels, meaning the MEP understated the disparity.
• The claim that China is cheaper than the US is contradicted by industrial electricity data, where China (€0.082/kWh) is slightly more expensive than the US (€0.075/kWh).
• No primary official source was found confirming the exact 'half as much' ratio across all three regions simultaneously; BusinessEurope is a secondary industry association source.
• Electricity prices within Europe vary enormously by country; using an EU average masks significant differences between Member States.

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat - Household electricity prices in the EU stable in 2024In the second half of 2024, average electricity prices for households in the EU remained largely stable, with a slight decrease to €28.72 per 100 kWh from €28.56 in the first half.
• SecondaryBusinessEurope - High cost of energy data hubIn 2024, industrial electricity prices in the EU reached €0.199 per kWh, compared to €0.082 in China and €0.075 in the US.
• SecondaryGlobalPetrolPrices.com - Electricity prices around the worldThe highest residential electricity prices are in Europe at USD 0.255 per kWh and the lowest are in Asia with USD 0.085. Of the big economies, prices in the U.S. are close to the world average whereas China's electricity prices are about half of those in the U.S.
• SecondaryChina-Briefing - China's Industrial Power Rates 2025The average industrial power rate in China has increased slightly, reaching approximately US$0.088/kWh in 2024, up from US$0.084/kWh in 2019.