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Three Middle Eastern and two North African nations were among the top 10 flaring countries worldwide in 2025, according to the World Bank Group’s annual Global Gas Flaring Tracker.
Iran and Iraq ranked second and third among the top 10 flaring countries, with Russia leading the pack. Saudi Arabia was placed 10th on the list. Oman, the UAE and Qatar were placed 13th, 15th and 18th, respectively.
Libya and Algeria were ranked sixth and seventh, with Venezuela, Mexico, and the US ranked fourth, fifth and ninth, respectively.
Global gas flaring rose for the third consecutive year, surging to 167 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2025, amounting to an estimated $54 billion in wasted gas.
Flaring volumes in 2025 nearly equaled Africa’s annual gas consumption and exceeded the annual volume of liquefied natural gas (LNG) transiting the Arabian Gulf.
“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 gas currently flared could be captured to power industries and businesses, create jobs, and strengthen energy security, he said.
Eliminating routine flaring globally would require an estimated $70–100 billion, less than twice the annual value of the gas currently being wasted, the report said.
(Writing by P Deol; Editing by Anoop Menon)
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