Global monthly fuel price index 2020-2025
The global fuel energy price index stood at 153.15 index points in May 2025, up from 100 in the base year 2016. Figures decreased that month due to lower heating fuel demand and a fall in crude oil prices. The fuel energy index includes prices for crude oil, natural gas, coal, and propane.
Supply constraints across multiple commodities
The global natural gas price index surged nearly 11-fold, and the global coal price index rose almost seven-fold from summer 2020 to summer 2022. This notable escalation was largely attributed to the Russia-Ukraine war, exerting increased pressure on the global supply chain.
Tariffs bring economic uncertainty
With the global economy having adjusted to the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war, new uncertainty has emerged due to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. If these tariffs are fully implemented, global trade could be significantly disrupted, mainly the bilateral trade between the world’s two largest economies. In 2025, import tariffs between China and the United States exceeded 130 percent on both sides, while their tariffs on imports from the rest of the world were around 10 percent. U.S. tariffs on Chinese imported goods reached a high of 134.7 percent in April of that year, while China imposed a 147.6 percent tariff on U.S. goods. Early estimates indicate that the impact of Trump’s proposed tariffs on the U.S. economy could amount to 0.4 percent of GDP, mainly driven by the reduced trade with Mexico, Canada and China.
