Google data shows personal mobility on the rise in Europe as lockdowns ease

London (Quantum Commodity Intelligence) - European personal mobility has recovered substantially in recent weeks in line with reduced Covid-19 cases and the gradual phasing out of social distancing measures, according to public data available from Google.

The significant progress made in recent weeks on the continent's vaccination programme is likely to have driven demand for diesel and gasoline.

Data from Google showed overall movements up around 4% in the week ended 30 May versus January 2020 levels in France, Germany and the UK, Europe's three most populous countries.

Mobility had been down as much as 20% in all three countries during parts of March and April.

Overall mobility remains below pre-pandemic seasonal levels, but not by a significant margin.

It is up around 17 percentage points in both France and Germany versus the last week of May 2020, and by 21 percentage points in the UK.

Other European countries, such as Italy, Spain and the Netherlands show similar trends.

Across the continent, work movements remain well below pre-pandemic levels by around 15-30 percentage points, with many service workers set to telework until September 2021.

However, it has been largely compensated by increases in movements for leisure and grocery shopping.

 

Such gains herald a new phase of normalisation in the European fuel market with significant demand increases likely over the northern hemisphere summer.

 

Outside Europe, however, Indian mobility remained down around 46% in the last week of May from January 2020 levels, following the significant worsening of the pandemic during March/April. In Argentina, a recent surge in cases has also reduced movements to 46% below January 2020 levels. In Japan, it was down 11% whereas in South Korea it was up 35%.

 

European countries are likely to have enough doses to vaccinate their entire populations against Covid-19 by the end of the third quarter, data on vaccine deliveries showed.