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Resource · Energy

Natural gas

Natural gas generates about a fifth of the world's electricity, heats buildings and is the main raw material for nitrogen fertilizer. The United States produced 25% of the world total in 2024 and is the largest LNG exporter. Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz on February 28, 2026 cut off about 20% of world LNG supply, mostly from Qatar.

Updated October 2026 · Data from the US Energy Information Administration and the International Gas Union

An LNG carrier with five round white storage tanks on its deck, sailing in calm water
The LNG carrier Shahamah. Photo: 青空白帆, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.1 JP.
Produced in 2024
4,218 bcm
billion cubic meters
Largest producer
25%
1,069 bcm
Largest LNG exporter
111 million t
25% of LNG trade, 2025
Qatar's LNG cargoes
−96%
in six months of war
Russia in EU imports
45% → 12%
2021 to 2025

Which countries produce the most natural gas?

The United States produced 1,069 bcm of natural gas in 2024, 25% of the world total. Russia was second with 642 bcm. Together the two countries produced 41% of the world's gas. Iran and China ranked third and fourth.

Russia, Iran and Qatar hold the largest proved reserves, about half of the world's known gas between them.

World map shaded by natural gas production in 2024. The United States and Russia are the lightest.

Billion cubic meters, 2024

  1. United States1,069.4
  2. Russia642.0
  3. Iran279.0
  4. China258.4
  5. Canada199.0
  6. Qatar170.0
Natural gas by country →
  • Under 1
  • 1–10
  • 10–50
  • 50–150
  • Over 150
  • No production

Who uses the most natural gas?

The United States consumed 937 bcm in 2024, 22% of world use. Russia used 500 bcm and China 425 bcm. China produced only 258 bcm and imports the difference by pipeline and as LNG.

Russia already sends gas to China through the Power of Siberia 1 pipeline. On September 2, 2025, Gazprom and CNPC signed a memorandum to build Power of Siberia 2 through Mongolia at 50 bcm a year. By July 2026 the two sides were still far apart on price.

Gas produced and gas used

Billion cubic meters, 2024

ProducedUsed
  1. 1,069United States937
  2. 642Russia500
  3. 258China425
  4. 279Iran264
  5. 199Canada138
  6. 123Saudi Arabia123
Dry natural gas. US Energy Information Administration.

Who exports the most LNG?

The United States exported 110.7 million tonnes of LNG in 2025, 25% of world trade. Qatar exported 81.5 million tonnes and Australia 80.3 million tonnes.

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz on February 28, 2026. QatarEnergy took its Ras Laffan plant offline on March 2 after a drone attack. Iranian missiles damaged two LNG trains on March 18. Qatar shipped only 18 cargoes in the war's first six months, down from 509 a year earlier. Asia's benchmark LNG price jumped nearly 70% on March 3.

Who sells the world's LNG

Share of LNG trade, 2025

  1. United States25%
  2. Qatar19%
  3. Australia18%
  4. Russia7%
  5. Malaysia7%
  6. Indonesia4%
Share of the 437 million tonnes of LNG traded in 2025, before the Hormuz closure. International Gas Union, World LNG Report 2026.

Where does Europe get its gas?

Norway and the United States are now the EU's top gas suppliers. Russia supplied 45% of EU gas imports in 2021 but only about 12% in 2025.

Underwater explosions ruptured three of four Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipeline strings on September 26, 2022. Gas transit through Ukraine stopped on January 1, 2025, when the Gazprom–Naftogaz contract expired. EU Regulation 2026/261 bans Russian gas step by step: long-term LNG contracts end on January 1, 2027, and long-term pipeline contracts on September 30, 2027.

Where the EU's gas imports came from

Share of EU gas imports, pipeline and LNG

2021Before the invasion
United States 5.7%
2025288 bcm imported
Russia 13%
2021: European Commission (Russia) and Council of the EU. 2025: European Commission, Quarterly Report on European Gas Markets, Q4 2025.

What is natural gas used for?

Power generation is the largest use. Gas produced 21.8% of the world's electricity in 2025. Industry is second. Just over 70% of the world's ammonia, the base of nitrogen fertilizer, is made from natural gas.

To cross oceans, gas is cooled into a liquid that takes up about 1/600 of its original volume. When supply is disrupted, prices move fast. Europe's TTF gas benchmark rose above €80 per megawatt-hour on September 9, 2026, its highest level since January 2023.

What gas does

In numbers

  • 21.8%of the world's electricity came from gas in 2025
  • 70%+of the world's ammonia, the base of nitrogen fertilizer, is made from gas
  • 600 timesless space: how much gas shrinks when it is cooled into LNG
  • 200,000 m³of LNG fit in one of the largest carriers delivered in 2025
Ember, Global Electricity Review 2026; IEA, Ammonia Technology Roadmap; International Gas Union.

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