# Cross-Country Price Comparison

## Average Energy Price {#average-energy-price}

### What is the average energy price? {#what-is-the-average-energy-price}

The average energy price is the representative unit cost of energy across an economy — expressed, for example, in USD/MMBtu. It serves as a proxy for national energy affordability, industrial competitiveness, and market efficiency.

A lower average may indicate better access to domestic resources, more efficient energy infrastructure, or favorable policy environments. A higher average may reflect import dependency, regulatory burdens, or underdeveloped infrastructure.

The average energy price is not the actual price paid by any one consumer or sector. It is a synthetic indicator — comparable to GDP per capita — designed to enable cross-country comparisons and macroeconomic energy analyses.

### How is the average energy price calculated? {#how-is-the-average-energy-price-calculated}

The average energy price is a consumption-weighted average of the most relevant energy price assessments available for a given country — that is, an average of price assessments weighted by energy-consumption assessments. No data is gathered separately for this indicator; it derives entirely from price and consumption assessments already obtained.

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![The average energy price is a consumption-weighted average of a country's most relevant energy price assessments — prices weighted by energy-consumption assessments — derived entirely from assessments already obtained, with no separate data collection.](/static/images/average_energy_price.svg)
:::

The specific price assessments included for each country, along with documentation of the underlying data sources and weighting procedures, are published in the Country Specific Assessments Guides, available at [https://cdn.intratec.us/_nt/docs/methodologies/iep-methodologies-index.pdf](https://cdn.intratec.us/_nt/docs/methodologies/iep-methodologies-index.pdf). After modeling, the resulting series are normalized and published per the Information Publication procedures.

### What is the average energy price used for? {#what-is-the-average-energy-price-used-for}

| Use case | Description |
|---|---|
| **Market Benchmarking & Competitiveness Analysis** | Comparing national energy cost levels to assess competitive positioning across markets. |
| **Policy and Investment Decision-Making** | Informing decisions that depend on the relative cost of energy across countries. |
| **Risk and Exposure Assessment** | Evaluating energy cost exposure in portfolios or supply chains with cross-border footprints. |
| **Macroeconomic and Trade Studies** | Incorporating energy price levels into broader economic and trade analysis. |

## Commodity Rankings {#commodity-rankings}

### What are commodity rankings? {#what-are-commodity-rankings}

Commodity rankings are monthly price rankings of countries for specific commodities: natural gas, electricity, gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, and naphtha. No data is gathered separately for these rankings — they derive entirely from price assessments already obtained through the standard prices assessment process.

### How are commodity rankings built? {#how-are-commodity-rankings-built}

A commodity ranking is obtained by selecting the relevant commodity price assessment for each country covered. The specific assessments considered for each country and commodity are documented in the Country Specific Assessments Guides, available at [https://cdn.intratec.us/_nt/docs/methodologies/iep-methodologies-index.pdf](https://cdn.intratec.us/_nt/docs/methodologies/iep-methodologies-index.pdf). After modeling, the resulting series are normalized and published per the Information Publication procedures.