Global natural gas production 2023, by country

As of 2023, the United States was the biggest producer of natural gas in the world. With a production of approximately 1035.3 billion cubic meters that year, U.S. natural gas production was over 449 billion cubic meters more than the second biggest producer - Russia. These two nations are by far the biggest contributors to natural gas production on the planet. In 2021, global natural gas production reached a peak of four trillion cubic meters.

Global natural gas reserves

Global proved natural gas reserves totaled nearly seven quadrillion cubic feet in 2020. The Middle East and the Commonwealth of Independent States are home to the largest regional natural gas reserves. The country with the largest proved natural gas reserves is Russia, which holds 37.4 trillion cubic meters in 2020. In the previous year, Russia’s state-owned energy group Gazprom held a 16.3 percent share of global natural gas.

Natural gas trade

In addition to having the largest natural gas reserves, Russia is also the world’s leading gas exporting country. The majority of Russia’s gas exports are via pipelines, and in 2021 it exported approximately 202 billion cubic meters through this method. In comparison, Qatar is the third largest natural gas exporter, but is the leading LNG exporting country.