Hydrocarbon producers flared more gas than a year earlier for the third consecutive year, despite pledges from countries representing the majority of flared gas to eliminate routine flaring by 2030.
Global gas flaring reached 167bn m³ in 2025, up from 157bn m³ in 2024 and reaching the highest level since 2019.
More gas was flared than the 157bn m³ of LNG exported through the strait of Hormuz in 2025, the World Bank said.
Greenhouse gas emissions from the flared volumes were equivalent to 429mn t of CO2, of which 50mn t of CO2 came from unburned methane caused by incomplete combustion, the bank said.
Gas flared in 2025 had estimated value of $54bn, based on US, European and Asian prices, according to the World Bank.
Russia, Mexico and Iran were responsible for over 60pc of the global increase in flaring. Russia, the highest flaring country in the world, increased flaring by 9pc or 2.5bn m³, Mexico by 28pc or 2.1bn m³ and Iran by 5pc or 1.4bn m³.
Flared gas decreased by 7pc or 400mn m³ in the US — the largest single-country drop last year — thanks to the completion of the new Matterhorn Express, which relieved the bottleneck in Permian-associated gas exports.
Countries and companies that have signed up to the zero routine flaring initiative with the World Bank, to end routine flaring completely by 2030, have outperformed the group that did not since 2012. These firms and countries account for approximately 60pc of total global gas flaring, the bank said.
