New satellite data compiled by the World Bank’s Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership (GGFR) show that Nigeria, Mexico, and the United States accounted for most of the decline in global gas flaring in 2022. Kazakhstan and Colombia also stand out for consistently reducing flaring volumes over the past seven years, according to the report.
Despite this progress, the top nine flaring countries continue to dominate emissions, responsible for nearly three‑quarters of flare volumes while producing less than half of global oil. These countries are Russia, Iraq, Iran, Algeria, Venezuela, the United States, Mexico, Libya, and Nigeria. In 2022, worldwide flared gas fell by five billion cubic metres to 139 bcm, the lowest level since 2010. The World Bank’s GGFR data indicate that progress in reducing gas flaring resumed that year, with a 3 % drop after a decade of stalled improvement.
World Bank Vice President for Infrastructure Guangzhe Chen commented, “After a decade of stalled progress, global gas flaring volumes fell in 2022 by around three per cent, which is a welcome drop, especially during a time of concern about energy security for many countries. We continue to encourage all oil producers to seize opportunities to end this polluting and wasteful practice.” The report also notes that global flaring intensity—the amount of flaring per barrel of oil produced—reached its lowest level since satellite monitoring began, reflecting a 5 % increase in oil production in 2022 and indicating a gradual decoupling of oil output from flaring.
Satellite data show that reduced Russian gas exports to the European Union did not lead to higher flaring in Russia. In 2022, the EU significantly increased its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from the United States, Angola, Norway, Qatar, and Egypt, as well as pipeline supplies from Azerbaijan and Norway. Among these suppliers, only the United States, Angola, and Egypt have made substantial progress in converting associated gas that would otherwise be flared into LNG exports.
GGFR estimates that gas flaring in 2022 released 357 million tonnes of carbon‑dioxide equivalents—315 million tonnes of CO₂ and 42 million tonnes of methane. The report highlights uncertainty in methane emissions from flaring, suggesting that actual releases could be much higher. If the average flare is just five percentage points less efficient at combusting methane, global methane emissions could be three times higher than current estimates. GGFR Programme Manager Zubin Bamji warned, “We’re concerned by the amount of methane emitted through flaring, particularly from flares that are not working properly. Methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide in the short term. So we need to understand this more and are ramping up our efforts to help developing countries tackle methane emissions.”
Gas flaring—the burning of natural gas associated with oil extraction—wastes a resource that could displace dirtier energy sources, improve energy access in the world’s poorest regions, and enhance energy security. The World Bank’s GGFR is a trust fund and partnership of governments, oil companies, and multilateral organizations dedicated to ending routine gas flaring at oil production sites worldwide. GGFR works to identify solutions to the technical, economic, and regulatory barriers that impede flaring reduction.
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