Global Gas Flaring Reaches Six-Year High in 2025

According to the World Bank's Global Gas Flaring Tracker, the volume of gas flared worldwide in 2025 reached 167 billion cubic meters, the highest level since 2019 and a 6% increase from 2024. This marks the third consecutive annual rise, reversing earlier progress in curbing the practice. The flared gas is estimated to be worth $54 billion, equivalent to about three-quarters of the investment needed to eliminate global routine flaring.

Environmental and Economic Concerns

Gas flaring, the burning of gas extracted during oil production, is under increased scrutiny for two main reasons. Environmentally, flared methane is highly polluting and contributes more to global warming than carbon dioxide. Economically, the gas is treated as a waste product rather than being processed for use as an energy source, representing a significant loss of natural resources.

Flaring Growth Outpaces Oil Production

The rate of growth in flaring is now rising faster than oil output itself. While global crude production increased by 3.3% in 2025, flaring volumes jumped by almost twice that rate. This indicates that associated gas continues to be treated as a by-product rather than a resource, and flaring is not being decoupled from oil production. The World Bank described this trend as "moving in the wrong direction," calling the scale of waste and economic loss "staggering."

Concentration Among Major Producers

The increase in flaring is heavily concentrated among a small group of countries. Russia remained the world's largest flaring nation, accounting for roughly 18% of global volumes. Together, the top nine countries—including Iran, Iraq, Venezuela, and Mexico—accounted for 83% of total flaring, despite producing less than half of the world's oil. More than 60% of last year's increase came from just three countries: Russia, Mexico, and Iran, highlighting how global trends hinge on a handful of major producers.

Scale of the Problem and Missed Targets

The volume of gas flared in 2025 exceeded total liquefied petroleum gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz that year, illustrating both the scale of the problem and the potential opportunity from monetizing the gas. The World Bank emphasized that the persistence of flaring is not due to technological constraints but to gaps in policy, investment, and enforcement. The technologies, policies, and financing mechanisms needed to capture and utilize associated gas are available, but what is missing is the leadership, prioritization, and governance to put these solutions into practice.

Examples of Reduction

Some countries have shown that reductions are achievable. The US recorded the largest absolute cut in flaring volumes in 2025, a drop of 7% year-on-year. Kazakhstan continued a long-term reduction, driven by stricter regulation and infrastructure investment, with its flaring rate dropping 16% in 2025 alone and flared volumes falling by 87% since 2012. Despite these examples, the World Bank stated that with global volumes rising for a third consecutive year, the world is set to miss the target of ending routine flaring by 2030 under its Zero Routine Flaring initiative, as the gap between the current trajectory and the goal is widening.