Nigeria flared natural gas worth an estimated $888.2 million between January 2025 and June 2026 as oil companies worsen the climate crisis and endanger lives in the Niger Delta.
This comes as Nigeria channelled nearly all of its marketed gas to export markets, raising fresh concerns over the pace of domestic gas development amid persistent shortages facing power plants, manufacturers and other industrial consumers.

Combined figures for the 18 months show that Nigeria produced 4.132 trillion standard cubic feet of gas, utilised more than 3.823 TSCF, and recorded an average flaring rate of 7.3 per cent, according to data published by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
An analysis of gas production and utilisation data shows that Nigeria flared 301.60 billion standard cubic feet (BSCF) of gas during the 18 months.

At a gas price of $2.84 per million British thermal units (MMBtu), the flared volume translates to about 312.76 million MMBtu, with an estimated market value of $888.24 million.
The data also indicates that while Nigeria maintained relatively stable gas production and marginally reduced flaring, it continued to prioritise exports over domestic utilisation.

Between January 2025 and June 2026, the country exported 1.506 trillion standard cubic feet (TSCF) of gas compared with 1.162 TSCF supplied to the domestic market. This means nearly 56.5 per cent of all marketed gas was exported, while 43.5 per cent was retained for local consumption.
The trend comes despite repeated government commitments under the Decade of Gas initiative to expand domestic gas supply for electricity generation, industrialisation, fertiliser production and compressed natural gas (CNG) development.

In 2025, Nigeria produced 2.706 TSCF of gas, comprising 1.456 TSCF of Associated Gas and 1.250 TSCF of Non-Associated Gas. The industry achieved a gas utilisation rate of 92.4 per cent, with 2.500 TSCF utilised, while 203.97 BSCF, representing 7.54 per cent of total production, was flared.
Production fluctuated throughout the year as output began at 236.32 BSCF in January, fell to 199.68 BSCF in February, recovered to 231.28 BSCF in March and 232.98 BSCF in April, before rising to 244.44 BSCF in May and 238.96 BSCF in June.

Production reached its annual peak of 250.88 BSCF in July, declined to 227.02 BSCF in August, dropped to its lowest level of 198.32 BSCF in September, and recovered modestly to 221.05 BSCF in October, 212.52 BSCF in November and 212.56 BSCF in December.
Throughout most of the year, export demand consistently outweighed domestic consumption. In January, exports exceeded domestic sales by 19.27 BSCF, while the margin narrowed sharply to just 0.51 BSCF in February. Export volumes again widened their lead in March (17.22 BSCF), April (6.59 BSCF), May (7.37 BSCF), June (9.10 BSCF) and July (19.72 BSCF).

Only August and September bucked the trend, with domestic deliveries surpassing exports by 5.65 BSCF and 19.13 BSCF, respectively. However, exports rebounded strongly in the final quarter. The export surplus widened to 26.84 BSCF in October, 34.45 BSCF in November and reached 45.83 BSCF in December, when export sales climbed to 101.91 BSCF, the highest monthly level recorded during the year.
Overall, Nigeria exported 942.74 BSCF in 2025 compared with 780.62 BSCF supplied domestically, meaning 54.7 per cent of marketed gas was exported while 45.3 per cent served the domestic economy.

The export orientation became even more pronounced during the first half of 2026. Between January and June, total gas production stood at 1.426 TSCF, with utilisation improving slightly to 92.8 per cent. Gas flaring declined to 97.63 BSCF, representing 6.85 per cent of production, suggesting modest progress in reducing routine flaring.
Monthly production remained stable, rising from 241.71 BSCF in January to 218.70 BSCF in February, 243.28 BSCF in March, 238.08 BSCF in April, peaking at 245.97 BSCF in May, before easing slightly to 238.49 BSCF in June.

However, exports exceeded domestic sales in every month. Export volumes surpassed domestic supply by 30.66 BSCF in January, 24.33 BSCF in February, 37.91 BSCF in March, 37.81 BSCF in April, 27.46 BSCF in May and 23.86 BSCF in June.
During the six-month period, Nigeria exported 563.18 BSCF, while domestic sales stood at 381.16 BSCF. Consequently, 59.6 per cent of marketed gas was exported compared with 40.4 per cent supplied locally, marking a further shift towards export markets compared with 2025.

Nigeria has severally announced zero gas flaring through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) the rate of flaring remain unabated as figure from the World Bank shows that Nigeria remained one of the world’s largest gas-flaring countries in 2025, ranking among nine nations responsible for 83% of global gas flaring.
Being a country pursuing gas-led industrialisation, World Bank reported that global flare volumes rose to 167 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2025, the highest level recorded since 2019.