Nine countries accounted for 83 per cent or more than four-fifths of global gas flaring in 2025 while producing only 46 per cent of the world’s oil, according to a new report released by World Bank on June 23, 2026.
Published by the World Bank’s Global Flaring and Methane Reduction Partnership in collaboration with the Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines, the report highlights that global gas flaring increased for the third consecutive year, reaching 167 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2025, up from 157 bcm in 2024.
Gas flaring occurs when natural gas produced alongside oil is burned at production sites instead of being captured, processed and sold or used locally. The practice wastes a valuable energy resource and adds to greenhouse gas emissions.
The “2026 Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report” estimates that flaring generated 429 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in 2025, including about 50 million tonnes from unburned methane.
The nine largest flaring countries—Russia, Iran, Iraq, Venezuela, Mexico, Libya, Algeria, Nigeria and the United States—were responsible for the vast majority of global flare volumes. More than 60 per cent of the global increase in flaring during 2025 came from just three countries — Russia, Mexico and Iran. Together, these countries increased flaring by about 6 billion cubic metres (bcm), nearly three times the total reductions achieved by all countries that lowered their flaring during the year. Russia remained the world’s largest flaring country, with flaring increasing by 9 per cent.
The volume of gas flared in 2025 exceeded the amount of liquefied natural gas (LNG) that transited the Persian Gulf that year and was roughly equal to Africa’s annual gas consumption.
The lost gas was valued at an estimated US$54 billion, highlighting both the economic and environmental costs of continued flaring.
According to the report, eliminating routine gas flaring worldwide would require US$70-$100 billion in upfront investment. The World Bank notes that the technologies needed to capture and utilise associated gas are already commercially available. The main obstacles are inadequate pipeline infrastructure, limited gas markets, lack of financing and weak regulatory enforcement rather than technological limitations.
According to the World Bank, reducing routine flaring could help countries such as Egypt, India and Iraq cut expensive gas imports, improve electricity generation and expand access to clean cooking fuels. One billion cubic metres of natural gas can generate around four billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough to make a significant contribution to underserved regions. Countries such as Angola and the Republic of Congo, where large quantities of associated gas are flared despite low electricity access, could particularly benefit from improved gas utilisation.
Despite the global increase, some countries demonstrated that substantial reductions are achievable. The United States recorded the largest absolute decline in flaring during 2025, reducing volumes by 7 per cent following the commissioning of the Matterhorn Express pipeline in the Permian Basin. Kazakhstan has reduced flaring by 87 per cent since 2012 through a combination of stronger regulations, government commitment and targeted infrastructure investments.
The World Bank said these examples show that sustained policy support and investment can significantly reduce gas flaring while improving energy security, creating economic opportunities and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.