Gas Prices Around the World

Many world gas prices can make what Americans pay at the pump seem like a bargain. But not all.

vehicle at filling station
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Even as gas prices in the U.S. ease off the peaks reached in 2022, Americans like to grumble about what we’re paying at the pump. But a look at gas prices around the world indicates that, well, things could be worse.

GlobalPetrolPrices.com, an energy data tracking company, puts U.S. gas prices in the bottom half of a global measure. And we pay the least for gasoline of any economically advanced country.

Have a look at how the U.S. compares with other countries, and then we’ll discuss what factors contribute to differences between nations.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
CountryPrice as of Nov. 21 in USD per gallonHeader Cell - Column 2 Header Cell - Column 3
Australia$4.33Row 0 - Cell 2 Row 0 - Cell 3
Belgium$7.30Row 1 - Cell 2 Row 1 - Cell 3
Benin$3.85Row 2 - Cell 2 Row 2 - Cell 3
Brazil$3.57Row 3 - Cell 2 Row 3 - Cell 3
Canada$5.08Row 4 - Cell 2 Row 4 - Cell 3
China$4.74Row 5 - Cell 2 Row 5 - Cell 3
Denmark$7.59Row 6 - Cell 2 Row 6 - Cell 3
France$6.83Row 7 - Cell 2 Row 7 - Cell 3
Finland$7.72Row 8 - Cell 2 Row 8 - Cell 3
Germany$6.99Row 9 - Cell 2 Row 9 - Cell 3
Greece$8.00Row 10 - Cell 2 Row 10 - Cell 3
Hong Kong$11.81Row 11 - Cell 2 Row 11 - Cell 3
Iceland$9.47Row 12 - Cell 2 Row 12 - Cell 3
India$5.09Row 13 - Cell 2 Row 13 - Cell 3
Ireland$7.91Row 14 - Cell 2 Row 14 - Cell 3
Israel$8.70Row 15 - Cell 2 Row 15 - Cell 3
Italy$6.54Row 16 - Cell 2 Row 16 - Cell 3
Japan$4.36Row 17 - Cell 2 Row 17 - Cell 3
Jordan$6.16Row 18 - Cell 2 Row 18 - Cell 3
Kuwait$1.29Row 19 - Cell 2 Row 19 - Cell 3
Madagascar$5.16Row 20 - Cell 2 Row 20 - Cell 3
Malawi$6.45Row 21 - Cell 2 Row 21 - Cell 3
Mexico$4.65Row 22 - Cell 2 Row 22 - Cell 3
Mozambique$5.15Row 23 - Cell 2 Row 23 - Cell 3
Netherlands$7.57Row 24 - Cell 2 Row 24 - Cell 3
Norway$7.93Row 25 - Cell 2 Row 25 - Cell 3
Pakistan$3.80Row 26 - Cell 2 Row 26 - Cell 3
Poland$5.49Row 27 - Cell 2 Row 27 - Cell 3
Qatar$2.18Row 28 - Cell 2 Row 28 - Cell 3
Russia$3.22Row 29 - Cell 2 Row 29 - Cell 3
Saudi Arabia$2.35Row 30 - Cell 2 Row 30 - Cell 3
Sierra Leone$4.39Row 31 - Cell 2 Row 31 - Cell 3
Singapore$7.31Row 32 - Cell 2 Row 32 - Cell 3
Sweden$6.95Row 33 - Cell 2 Row 33 - Cell 3
Turkey$4.08Row 34 - Cell 2 Row 34 - Cell 3
Ukraine$5.15Row 35 - Cell 2 Row 35 - Cell 3
United Kingdom$7.35Row 36 - Cell 2 Row 36 - Cell 3
United States$3.90Row 37 - Cell 2 Row 37 - Cell 3
Zimbabwe$3.76Row 38 - Cell 2 Row 38 - Cell 3
Prices are from GlobalPetrolPrices.com and reflect the cost of premium-grade gasolineRow 39 - Cell 1 Row 39 - Cell 2 Row 39 - Cell 3

Gas taxes are a big factor

So, why? Chiefly, taxes. While in the U.S. these vary considerably by state (and we’ve tracked the 10 states with the highest gas taxes as well as the lowest), on balance, gasoline taxes in the U.S. are low on a global scale. And again, among industrialized countries (the 38 members of the OECD) only Mexico has lower fuel taxes.

Nevin Valev, owner of GlobalPetrolPrices, says the U.S.’s low rate reflect Americans need – and desire – to drive long distances, and the political unpopularity of higher taxes. The summer price surge of 2022, for example, led to a variety of gas tax holidays or suspensions by a range of states.








 

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On the other hand, smaller countries like Denmark and the Netherlands collect gas taxes so high that they are well in excess of what’s needed to maintain roads – they’re used for other government spending, or to discourage consumption.

The U.S. dollar’s effect is significant

But taxes aren’t the only story. Currencies matter, too. Fuel is traded in U.S. dollars. So if a country’s currency weakens against the dollar (as, for example, the UK pound has in recent years), oil – and hence gasoline – becomes more expensive in that country – even if there’s been no change in the basic price of oil.

Those are, of course, oil-producing countries that can more easily subsidize domestic gasoline prices when oil prices are high. While the U.S. is an oil producer – and exporter – as well, it does not engage in this sort of market fiddling, with the exception of releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. And in European countries with oil such as the United Kingdom and Norway, fossil fuels used domestically are heavily taxed.
 

David Muhlbaum
Former Senior Online Editor

In his former role as Senior Online Editor, David edited and wrote a wide range of content for Kiplinger.com. With more than 20 years of experience with Kiplinger, David worked on numerous Kiplinger publications, including The Kiplinger Letter and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. He co-hosted  Your Money's Worth, Kiplinger's podcast and helped develop the Economic Forecasts feature.

With contributions from