Nigeria remained one of the world’s largest gas-flaring countries in 2025, ranking among nine nations responsible for 83% of global gas flaring, according to the latest report by the World Bank.
The findings were published in the Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report, which highlighted the continued concentration of gas-flaring activities among a small group of major oil-producing countries despite global efforts to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency.
Major gas-flaring countries
The report identified the following countries as the largest contributors to global gas flaring in 2025:
- Russia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Venezuela
- Mexico
- Libya
- Algeria
- Nigeria
- United States
Together, these nine countries accounted for the vast majority of global gas flaring, while more than 90 other oil-producing nations contributed only 17% despite producing over half of the world’s crude oil output.
Nigeria’s gas flaring increased alongside oil production
According to the report, Nigeria recorded increases in both crude oil production and gas-flaring volumes during 2025.
This suggests that while oil output improved, a significant portion of associated natural gas continued to be burned off rather than captured, processed, or utilized for domestic and industrial purposes.
The development highlights ongoing challenges within Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, particularly in relation to gas gathering, processing, transportation, and utilization infrastructure.
Why gas flaring matters
Gas flaring occurs when natural gas produced during crude oil extraction is burned instead of being captured for productive use.
The practice has several consequences:
- Loss of potential revenue from gas sales.
- Increased greenhouse gas emissions.
- Environmental degradation in oil-producing communities.
- Wasted energy resources that could support electricity generation and industrial development.
- Negative impacts on public health and local ecosystems.
For Nigeria, reducing gas flaring remains critical because the country possesses some of Africa’s largest natural gas reserves and has positioned gas as a key pillar of its energy transition and economic growth strategy.
Implications for Nigeria
The report underscores the gap between Nigeria’s ambitions to become a gas-powered economy and the reality of persistent flaring levels.
While the government has introduced various initiatives aimed at commercializing stranded gas resources and reducing routine flaring, infrastructure constraints, project delays, funding challenges, and operational issues continue to limit progress.
As Nigeria seeks to expand domestic gas utilization, improve energy security, increase export earnings, and meet climate commitments, reducing gas flaring is expected to remain a major policy priority for regulators and operators across the upstream oil and gas industry.
