Global Gas Reserves: A Data Deep Dive
An authoritative exploration of the world's proven natural gas reserves, examining data sources and global distribution.
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Understanding Natural Gas Reserves
Global Energy Landscape
Natural gas is a critical component of the global energy mix. Proven reserves represent the quantity of natural gas that geological and engineering data demonstrate with reasonable certainty to be recoverable in future years from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions.[1]
Key Players
As of early 2021, proven natural gas reserves are significantly concentrated in a few countries. Notably, Iran, Russia, and Qatar hold the largest estimated reserves, playing pivotal roles in the global energy market.[6]
Data Variability
Estimates for proven reserves can vary between different authoritative sources, such as the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), OPEC, and BP. These discrepancies often arise from differing methodologies, definitions of "recoverable," and the inclusion of unconventional gas sources like shale gas.[2][3]
Proven Reserves by Country
The following table presents estimates of proven natural gas reserves in cubic kilometers (km³), sourced primarily from the U.S. EIA, OPEC, and BP, along with production data.
| Country | U.S. EIA (2021)[6] |
OPEC (start of 2018)[7] |
BP (end of 2020)[8] |
Production km³/year (2021)[9] |
Years of production in reserve[10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russia * | 47,800 | 47,760 | 37,400 | 701.55 | 68 |
| Iran * | 34,000 | 33,988 | 32,100 | 248.3 | 137 |
| Qatar * | 23,900 | 23,861 | 24,700 | 169 | 141 |
| United States * | 17,710 | 9,067 | 12,600 | 977.44 | 18 |
| Turkmenistan * | 10,000 | 9,838 | 13,600 | 87.02 | 115 |
| Saudi Arabia * | 9,430 | 9,514 | 6,000 | 115.6 | 82 |
| China * | 6,650 | 2,934 | 8,400 | 212 | 31 |
| United Arab Emirates * | 6,090 | 8,210 | 5,900 | 63.77 | 95 |
| Venezuela * | 6,000 | 5,707 | 6,300 | 15.9 | 377 |
| Nigeria * | 5,750 | 5,913 | 5,500 | 44.40 | 130 |
| Algeria * | 4,500 | 4,504 | 2,300 | 102.1 | 44 |
| Iraq * | 3,740 | 3,744 | 3,500 | 10.7 | 350 |
| Australia * | 3,230 | 3,173 | 2,400 | 147.1 | 22 |
| Mozambique * | 3,000 | 5.35 | 561 | ||
| Kazakhstan * | 2,400 | 1,898 | 2,300 | 20.0 | 120 |
| Canada * | 2,100 | 2,059 | 2,400 | 182.2 | 12 |
| Azerbaijan * | 2,000 | 1,227 | 2,500 | 31.38 | 64 |
| Egypt * | 1,800 | 2,221 | 2,100 | 69.43 | 26 |
| Kuwait * | 1,800 | 1,784 | 1,700 | 21.3 | 85 |
| Uzbekistan * | 1,800 | 1,564 | 800 | 49.70 | 36 |
| Norway * | 1,600 | 2,314 | 1,400 | 115.1 | 14 |
| Libya | 1,500 | 1,505 | 1,400 | 14.6 | 103 |
| India * | 1,400 | 1,289 | 1,300 | 32.3 | 43 |
| Malaysia * | 1,200 | 2,909 | 900 | 70.99 | 17 |
| Ukraine * | 1,100 | 304 | 1,100 | 18.9 | 58 |
| Indonesia * | 1,000 | 2,866 | 1,300 | 58.96 | 17 |
| Senegal * | 1,000 | ||||
| Vietnam * | 710 | 203 | 600 | 7.02 | 101 |
| Turkey * | 710 | 0.40 | 1775 | ||
| Oman * | 650 | 884 | 700 | 39.19 | 17 |
| Myanmar * | 650 | 273 | 400 | 16.3 | 40 |
| Pakistan * | 590 | 757 | 400 | 33.39 | 18 |
| Argentina * | 487 | 381 | 400 | 40.44 | 12 |
| Yemen * | 480 | 300 | 0.12 | 4000 | |
| Guyana | 453 | ||||
| Brazil * | 370 | 325 | 300 | 23.8 | 16 |
| Angola * | 340 | 422 | 5.86 | 58 | |
| Trinidad and Tobago * | 310 | 433 | 290 | 25.7 | 12 |
| Peru * | 310 | 513 | 261 | 12 | 26 |
| Bolivia * | 310 | 310 | 213 | 15.5 | 20 |
| Congo * | 300 | 284 | 0.42 | 714 | |
| Brunei * | 260 | 252 | 222 | 11.4 | 23 |
| Syria * | 240 | 300 | 269 | 3.26 | 74 |
| Israel * | 180 | 589 | 17.7 | 10 | |
| United Kingdom * | 180 | 269 | 187 | 32.48 | 6 |
| Mexico | 180 | 146 | 178 | 23.9 | 8 |
| Papua New Guinea * | 180 | 163 | 11.4 | 16 | |
| Thailand * | 140 | 180 | 143 | 36.36 | 4 |
| Cameroon * | 140 | 152 | 2.3 | 61 | |
| Equatorial Guinea * | 140 | 145 | 5.83 | 24 | |
| Netherlands * | 130 | 804 | 130 | 21.6 | 6 |
| Bangladesh * | 130 | 346 | 110 | 23.9 | 5 |
| Romania * | 100 | 105 | 78 | 9.32 | 11 |
| Philippines * | 99 | 3 | 33 | ||
| Chile * | 99 | 5.30 | 1.4 | 71 | |
| Poland * | 91 | 56.3 | 72.2 | 5.64 | 16 |
| Colombia * | 88 | 104 | 86 | 11.4 | 8 |
| Bahrain * | 82 | 64.8 | 18.6 | 4 | |
| Sudan * | 80 | 0 | - | ||
| Cuba * | 71 | 0.91 | 78 | ||
| Tunisia * | 65 | 1.4 | 46 | ||
| Namibia * | 62 | 0 | - | ||
| Rwanda * | 60 | 0.06 | 1000 | ||
| Afghanistan * | 51 | 0.079 | 646 | ||
| Serbia * | 48 | 0.40 | 120 | ||
| Italy * | 45 | 27.1 | 100 | 3.2 | 14 |
| Palestine * | 32 | 0 | - | ||
| New Zealand * | 31 | 4.13 | 8 | ||
| Denmark * | 30 | 73.9 | 100 | 1.2 | 25 |
| Ivory Coast * | 30 | 2.5 | 12 | ||
| Croatia | 30 | 0.82 | 37 | ||
| Mauritania * | 30 | 0 | - | ||
| Ethiopia * | 30 | 0 | - | ||
| Gabon * | 30 | 25.5 | 0.45 | 67 | |
| Germany | 20 | 39.6 | 100 | 4.98 | 4 |
| Ghana | 20 | 2.92 | 7 | ||
| Japan * | 20 | 2.4 | 8 | ||
| Ireland * | 10 | 1.6 | 6 | ||
| Slovakia | 10 | 0.062 | 161 | ||
| Uganda | 10 | 0 | - | ||
| Ecuador | 10 | 5.4 | 0.31 | 32 | |
| Georgia | 8 | 8.5 | 0.01 | 800 | |
| South Korea * | 8 | 0.05 | 160 | ||
| France | 8 | 0.02 | 400 | ||
| Tanzania * | 6 | 1.3 | 5 | ||
| Austria | 6 | 1.2 | 5 | ||
| Jordan * | 6 | 0.19 | 32 | ||
| Taiwan * | 6 | 0.091 | 66 | ||
| Albania | 6 | 0.059 | 102 | ||
| Bulgaria | 6 | 0.037 | 162 | ||
| Tajikistan * | 6 | 0.02 | 300 | ||
| Kyrgyzstan | 6 | 0.02 | 300 | ||
| Somalia * | 6 | 0 | - | ||
| Hungary * | 3 | 1.5 | 2 | ||
| Czech Republic | 3 | 0.20 | 15 | ||
| Belarus * | 3 | 0.074 | 41 | ||
| Somaliland | 3 | 0 | |||
| Spain | 2.55 | 0.048 | 53 | ||
| Morocco * | 1.44 | 474 | 0.12 | 12 | |
| Benin | 1.13 | 0 | - | ||
| Greece | 0.99 | 0.06 | 16 | ||
| DR Congo | 0.99 | 0 | - | ||
| Barbados | 0.11 | 0.01 | 11 | ||
| Armenia * | 0 | 18.0 | |||
| World | 205,500 (2020) | 4,083.09 | 50 |
Data Sources and Discrepancies
Authoritative Data
The primary sources for natural gas reserve data include the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and BP. These organizations compile and publish global energy statistics, including proven reserves.
Disagreements in Estimates
There is often a divergence in reported reserve figures. For instance, regarding Russia's reserves, the CIA, EIA, and OPEC generally place it highest, while BP's figures are notably lower. Similarly, Iran's reserves are estimated differently across sources. These variations highlight the complexities in defining and measuring "proven" reserves.[2][3][4][5]
Evolving Estimates
The development of new extraction technologies, such as those for shale gas, and exploration in new regions continually update reserve estimates. Countries like the United States and Canada have seen significant increases in their proven reserves due to advancements in shale gas recovery.[1]
Comparative Reserve Estimates
This table illustrates the differences in reserve estimates for key countries across major reporting agencies as of late 2014/early 2015.
| Source | Canada | Iran | Russia | Saudi Arabia | United States | Venezuela |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BP[11] | 2,000 | 34,000 | 32,800 | 8,200 | 9,800 | 5,600 |
| OPEC[12] | 2,028 | 34,020 | 49,541 | 8,489 | 9,580 | 5,617 |
| U.S. EIA[13] | 2,535 | 42,426 | 59,619 | 10,393 | 10,441 | 6,960 |
Understanding the Units
Cubic Kilometers (km³)
The standard unit for measuring natural gas reserves in the provided data is cubic kilometers (km³). This unit is equivalent to one billion cubic meters (1 km³ = 1,000,000,000 m³). This metric allows for a consistent comparison of reserve volumes across different countries and sources.
Years of Production
The "Years of production in reserve" metric indicates how long current reserves would last at the current annual production rate. This is a crucial indicator of energy security and resource sustainability for each nation.
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References
References
- Rank Order - Natural gas - proved reserves. Retrieved June 2014.
- Natural gas - proved reserves. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics, accessed 17 Jan. 2019.
- OPEC, Annual Statistical Bulletin 2018
- BP, Statistical Review of World Energy, June 2022.
- BP Statistical Review of World Energy, 2015
- OPEC Statistical Bulletin, 2015.
- International Data: Natural Gas Reserves, US EIA. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
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Disclaimer
Important Notice
This page was generated by an Artificial Intelligence and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The content is based on publicly available data from Wikipedia and related sources, which may be subject to change or contain inherent variations in estimation methodologies.
This is not financial or investment advice. The information provided on this website is not a substitute for professional consultation regarding energy markets, investments, or resource management. Reserve estimates are subject to significant uncertainty and can be influenced by economic, technological, and geopolitical factors.
The creators of this page are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any actions taken based on the information provided herein. Always consult official sources and qualified professionals for critical decisions.