Global Gas Flaring Rises to 167 Billion Cubic Metres in 2025, Highest in Six Years

Global gas flaring reached 167 billion cubic metres in 2025, a six-year high and the third consecutive annual increase, according to World Bank figures released on June 23. The total exceeded growth in worldwide oil output. Russia, Iran and Iraq together flared 84 billion cubic metres, nearly half the global volume.

Russian statistics office Rosstat data showed Russia flared 25.8 percent more gas than in 2024. Nine countries—Russia, Iran, Iraq, Venezuela, Mexico, Libya, Algeria, Nigeria and the United States—produced more than four-fifths of all flaring while generating nearly half of global oil output. Libya, Algeria and Nigeria combined flared more than 25 billion cubic metres.

Nigeria’s upstream regulator reported 6.08 billion cubic metres flared in 2025, below the World Bank’s 6.6 billion cubic metre estimate. The regulator attributed the difference to satellite versus on-site measurement. Eliminating routine gas flaring worldwide would require an estimated $70 billion to $100 billion, the World Bank said.

Energy ministries in Russia, Iran and Iraq declined to comment on the data. "At a time when many countries are struggling to increase affordable and reliable energy, the economic development costs of continued flaring are simply too high," said Demetrios Papathanasiou, World Bank Group global director for energy.

"The technologies and approaches needed to capture and utilize associated gas are well established.

But in many oil-producing countries, gas utilization is not yet integrated as a core part of oil production planning, with infrastructure investment and regulatory enforcement often lagging," said Zubin Bamji, manager of the World Bank’s Global Flaring and Methane Reduction Partnership.