Global Gas Flaring Rises for Third Consecutive Year
According to the 2026 Global Flaring Tracker released by the World Bank Group on June 23, 2026, the volume of gas flared worldwide climbed to 167 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2025. This marks the third straight year of increase and represents an estimated economic loss of US $54 billion in wasted natural gas.
Key Findings from the Tracker
The tracker, produced jointly by the World Bank’s Global Flaring and Methane Reduction (GFMR) Partnership and the Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines, offers an independent assessment of global flaring volumes, intensity, and trends. Highlights include:
- The 167 bcm flared in 2025 exceeds the total liquefied natural gas (LNG) that transited the Persian Gulf that same year.
- This amount is roughly equivalent to Africa’s entire annual gas consumption, underscoring the scale of waste on a continent where energy poverty remains a barrier to development.
- Nine countries—Russia, Iran, Iraq, Venezuela, Mexico, Libya, Algeria, Nigeria, and the United States—account for more than 80 % of global flaring while producing about half of the world’s oil.
Economic and Environmental Costs
Flaring not only squanders a valuable hydrocarbon resource but also foregoes opportunities to:
- Boost domestic energy supplies and reduce reliance on costly imports.
- Generate revenue that could be reinvested in local economies and job creation.
- Cut greenhouse‑gas emissions, as captured gas can replace dirtier fuels in power generation and industry.
Demetrios Papathanasiou, Global Director for Energy at the World Bank Group, noted that “the economic development costs of continued flaring are simply too high” when many nations struggle to secure affordable, reliable power.
Why Progress Stalls
Technical solutions to capture and utilize associated gas are well‑established. Yet, routine flaring persists due to structural challenges rather than a lack of know‑how:
- Inadequate or inconsistently enforced regulations.
- Limited access to capital for infrastructure upgrades.
- Underdeveloped market mechanisms that would allow flared gas to be sold or used locally.
- Insufficient prioritization by operators and governments.
Zubin Bamji, World Bank Manager for GFMR, emphasized that “what is missing in too many places is the leadership, prioritization, and governance required to put these solutions into practice.”
Pathways to Reduce Flaring
Where effective policies, targeted investment, and strong leadership converge, flaring drops sharply. The tracker estimates that ending routine flaring worldwide would require an investment of US $70 billion to $100 billion—less than twice the annual value of the gas currently wasted.
Recommended actions include:
- Implementing clear, enforceable flaring limits tied to production permits.
- Providing financial incentives or concessional financing for gas‑capture projects.
- Developing midstream infrastructure (pipelines, processing plants) to move associated gas to markets.
- Strengthening monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems to ensure transparency.
Case Study: Kazakhstan’s Success
Kazakhstan illustrates what decisive action can achieve. Since 2012, the country has cut flaring by 87 %, with an additional 16 % reduction in 2025 alone. This progress stemmed from a combination of stricter regulatory frameworks, targeted foreign investment in gas‑processing facilities, and a national strategy that prioritized associated‑gas utilization over flaring.
Conclusion
The persistent rise in global gas flaring represents a missed opportunity to enhance energy security, spur economic development, and mitigate climate impacts. While the technical means to curb the practice exist, realizing its full potential hinges on coordinated policy, financing, and governance efforts. Stakeholders—governments, operators, investors, and civil society—must treat flaring reduction not as an optional environmental add‑on but as a core component of sustainable energy strategy.
