Global gas flaring rose to its highest level in six years in 2025, largely driven by increased activity in Russia and Iran, according to new World Bank data. The practice of burning off excess gas during oil production reached 167 billion cubic metres, wasting an estimated 54 billion dollars worth of energy and undermining international efforts to end routine flaring by 2030.
The findings highlight growing concerns that key oil producing countries are slowing global progress on emissions reduction due to weak infrastructure, limited investment and uneven regulatory enforcement.
Why Gas Flaring Is Increasing
Gas flaring occurs when natural gas produced alongside oil is burned instead of being captured and used. The World Bank says the rise reflects structural challenges in major producing countries where capturing gas is not fully integrated into oil production systems.
In many cases, insufficient pipelines, lack of processing facilities and limited access to financing make it cheaper for producers to burn gas than to capture it for commercial use.
Russia and Iran at the Center of the Increase
The data shows that Russia, Iran and Iraq together accounted for roughly half of global flaring in 2025. Russia and Iran were the main contributors to the year on year increase.
Nine countries, including Venezuela, Mexico, Libya, Algeria, Nigeria and the United States, accounted for more than 80 percent of global flaring while producing nearly half of the world’s oil output.
Africa’s Ongoing Flaring Challenge
African producers remain a significant source of gas flaring despite growing energy demand across the continent.
Countries such as Libya, Algeria and Nigeria continue to burn large volumes of gas even as they face electricity shortages and seek to expand domestic energy supply. In some cases, infrastructure gaps and regulatory constraints limit the ability to convert flared gas into usable energy.
Disputes Over Measurement and Data
Nigeria’s upstream regulator has disputed parts of the World Bank’s estimates, saying its own metered data shows lower flaring levels than satellite based measurements suggest.
Officials argue that differences in methodology account for the variation and say increased production levels contributed to the slight rise in flaring.
Despite the discrepancies, Nigeria has reiterated its commitment to ending routine flaring by 2030 through new gas monetisation programs and regulatory reforms.
Economic Cost of Flaring
The World Bank estimates that eliminating routine flaring would require investment of between 70 billion and 100 billion dollars, which is less than twice the annual value of the gas currently being wasted.
Experts argue that the economic case for reducing flaring is strong, given that captured gas could be used for power generation, industrial activity and domestic energy supply.
Policy and Infrastructure Gaps
While technologies to capture and process associated gas are widely available, implementation remains uneven. The World Bank says the main barriers are not technical but related to policy, governance and investment priorities.
In many producing countries, gas utilization is not treated as a core part of oil development planning, limiting incentives for long term infrastructure investment.
Personal Analysis
The continued rise in global gas flaring highlights a persistent gap between climate ambitions and energy sector realities. Despite international commitments to eliminate routine flaring by 2030, progress is slowing as production grows in countries where enforcement and infrastructure development lag behind.
The concentration of flaring in a small group of major oil producers shows that global outcomes depend heavily on national policy choices rather than global agreements alone. Even as cleaner energy transitions advance in some regions, structural dependence on oil production in others continues to drive emissions that are both economically wasteful and environmentally damaging.
A key challenge is that flaring persists not because of a lack of technology but because of misaligned incentives. Capturing gas requires upfront investment, while flaring remains a cheaper short term option for many producers. Without stronger regulatory pressure or financial incentives, this imbalance is likely to continue.
There is also a growing credibility gap in global climate efforts. While international institutions promote ambitious targets, actual implementation depends on domestic governance, enforcement capacity and political will in major producing states.
Future Outlook
If current trends continue, global gas flaring is likely to remain elevated in the near term, particularly in countries expanding oil production without parallel investment in gas infrastructure.
Progress toward the 2030 zero routine flaring goal will depend on whether governments and energy companies prioritize long term infrastructure development over short term production gains. Without stronger enforcement and financing mechanisms, efforts to reduce flaring may continue to fall short of global climate expectations.
With information from Reuters.
