Emissions surge: Gas flaring in 2024 released 389 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent, as global flare volumes highest since 2007

In 2024, gas flares emitted approximately 389 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e), with 46 million tonnes attributed to unburnt methane, according to a new World Bank report. Flaring is the process of burning of natural gas during oil extraction.

This represents an increase of 9 MtCO2e from 2023, equivalent to putting 2 million new petroleum-fueled cars on the road. 

This report was prepared by a team led by Alexandrina Platonova-Oquab of the Global Flaring and Methane Reduction (GFMR) Partnership Trust Fund at the World Bank. 

The 2025 Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report highlighted that in 2024, the gas lost in flares was almost equivalent to the total annual gas consumption in Africa, 162 billion cubic meters (bcm).

According to the report, in 2024, global flare volumes rose to 151 billion cubic metres (bcm), up by 3 bcm from 148 bcm in 2023, the highest level since 2007. 

The proportion of global flaring attributed to the top nine flaring nations — Russia, Iran, Iraq, the United States, Venezuela, Algeria, Libya, Mexico, and Nigeria — rose from 65 per cent in 2012 to 76 per cent in 2024. The most significant increases in flaring volumes in 2024 were observed in Iran, Nigeria, the United States, Iraq and Russia, listed in order of the volume increase. Collectively, these five countries were responsible for an additional 4.6 bcm of gas flaring.

Nigeria experienced a 12 per cent increase in flaring volume in 2024, the second largest increase globally. With oil production rising by just 3 per cent, flaring intensity increased by 8 per cent. This marks the second consecutive year of rising flare levels in Nigeria. 

Flaring at oil and gas facilities operated by the national oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, and several smaller companies, likely with limited expertise or funding for gas utilisation, accounted for 60 per cent of Nigeria’s gas flaring and 75 per cent of the increase in 2024.

The rise in gas flaring in 2024 underscores the urgency for oil producers to swiftly enhance initiatives to eliminate regular flaring and reduce pollution from oil and gas activities.

Countries endorsing Zero Routine Flaring by 2030

The Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 (ZRF) Initiative, launched by the World Bank and the United Nations in April 2015, aims to end routine gas flaring by the end of this decade.

ZRF-endorsing countries with lower flaring volumes, including Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia and Kazakhstan, have demonstrated progress.

Reductions in gas flaring were observed in Algeria and Libya. In Libya, after the significant 25 per cent increase in flaring in 2023, flaring reduced by 8 per cent in 2024, as a result of the shutting down of several major oil fields in the second half of the year due to political instability and demonstrations.

Although certain nations have advanced in minimising flaring, the overall rise in 2024 highlighted the necessity for governments and operators to focus on projects aimed at reducing flaring.

The report called on governments and operators to act now to end routine gas flaring and reduce methane emissions from oil and gas production.

The World Bank's yearly Global Gas Flaring Tracker serves as a resource for observing and understanding the global status of gas flaring and the advancements towards the goal of eliminating routine flaring by 2030.

With just five years to the target date, it will now require an almost 40 per cent reduction in routine flaring every year to meet the initiative’s objective.

Final summary: In 2024, global gas flaring reached alarming levels, emitting 389 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent. The World Bank report highlights a significant increase in unburnt methane emissions, contributing to pollution. Nigeria saw a 12 per cent rise in flaring, marking the second-largest global increase. The report urges immediate action to curb routine flaring and reduce methane emissions.