Natural gas - countries with the largest reserves 2009-2019
Russia has the largest proved natural gas reserves in the world. As of 2019, it had 38 trillion cubic meters worth of the fossil fuel, four trillion cubic meters more than ten years prior. Iran and Qatar have the second and third largest proved natural gas reserves, while Turkmenistan has seen its reserves more than double, reaching 19.5 trillion cubic meters in 2019.
Between 2000 and 2019, global proved natural gas reserves increased by some 1.9 quadrillion cubic feet. In 2019, worldwide reserves reached their peak at just over seven quadrillion cubic feet, of which 38 percent are located in the Middle East.
The United States is the world’s largest natural gas producer as of 2019, despite ranking fifth in terms of proved reserves. That year, it was responsible for approximately 921 billion cubic meters of natural gas being extracted. This compared to a production volume of 679 billion cubic meters by Russia.
Natural gas reserves overview
Used as a source of energy generation and a feedstock in the chemicals industry, natural gas serves a variety of purposes. It is mainly transported in gaseous form via pipelines, but may be shipped via tanker vessels once liquefied. Proved reserves is a measure used to establish recoverable resource volumes. These are linked to known reservoirs and estimated through exploratory drilling.Between 2000 and 2019, global proved natural gas reserves increased by some 1.9 quadrillion cubic feet. In 2019, worldwide reserves reached their peak at just over seven quadrillion cubic feet, of which 38 percent are located in the Middle East.
The United States is the world’s largest natural gas producer as of 2019, despite ranking fifth in terms of proved reserves. That year, it was responsible for approximately 921 billion cubic meters of natural gas being extracted. This compared to a production volume of 679 billion cubic meters by Russia.
