Global natural gas commodity prices by region 2020-2023

Natural gas prices decreased across all major regions in 2023, as supply caught up to higher demand. In Japan, LNG sold for an average of 12.5 nominal U.S. dollars per million British thermal units. Meanwhile, the United States, as the largest natural gas producer worldwide, has significantly lower prices for the fossil fuel. The U.S. has had lower natural gas prices than Europe for much of the past four decades.

LNG on the rise

LNG is expected to shape much of future natural gas trade. Although pipelines have been the preferred method of transportation for many decades, as Europe shifts away from Russia as its main gas supplier, LNG has become more in demand. The global LNG trade volume has already exceeded 500 billion cubic meters per year, and is expected to continue growing. Countries in Asia have some of the highest landed prices for liquefied natural gas worldwide.

Natural gas benchmarks

Some of the most closely followed natural gas price benchmarks are the U.S. Henry Hub and the Dutch TTF. The former is an important indicator of the state of the natural gas industry in the U.S., while the latter reflects natural gas market developments in Europe and potential repercussions for consumers.