OECD energy support measures tracker

As of March 2026, governments across the OECD have acted swiftly to shield households and firms from rising fuel costs. The predominant response has been fuel tax relief aimed at lowering prices at the pump. Other measures—such as price caps and direct income support—have also been deployed, albeit less extensively.

Approximately two-thirds of announced measures are temporary, with explicit end dates or designed as one-off interventions. Around one-third are targeted, primarily directed at sectors most exposed to fuel price increases, such as agriculture and road freight transport. Fewer than one-third of measures combine both features—being simultaneously temporary and targeted.

This proportion is broadly in line with the response observed during the early phase of the 2022–23 energy crisis, when around 36% of measures announced in the immediate aftermath of the shock (March–April) were both temporary and targeted.

The current shock differs from the 2022-23 crisis in that it stems from disruptions to oil, oil products and seaborne LNG flows, rather than from the collapse of Russian pipeline gas supplies to Europe. Even so, the main policy lessons from the 2022-23 energy crisis remain relevant.

The 2022–23 energy crisis highlighted the high fiscal cost of broad‑based support. Across OECD and partner economies, most energy‑price relief was untargeted, accounting for nearly 80% of total spending and placing a significant burden on public finances at a time of rising debt and competing spending pressures. The experience underscores three key lessons for crisis design: support should be targeted, temporary and preserve incentives to save energy.