15 Countries With the Largest Natural Gas Reserves in the World
What are the countries with the largest natural gas reserves in the world? Almost 80% of all the world’s proven natural gas reserves are in ten countries. Russia tops the list, with about a quarter of the world’s gas reserves, followed by Iran and Qatar, in the Middle East.
With more than 47 thousand cubic kilometers, Russia has the largest natural gas reserves in the world. Some of the largest Russian gas fields are located in the western Siberian region, east of the Gulf of Ob, in the Arctic Circle.
In fact, there is the second-largest gas field in the world, known as the and Acimiento Urengoi gas. Discovered in 1966, initial natural gas reserves were estimated at 8,098 km 3 – more than all of China’s reserves.
Urengói began producing gas in 1978 and, although its production has declined from its peak years, it still exceeds the production of any other gas field in the world.
Europe
Outside of Russia, the largest natural gas reserves in Europe are in Norway, with 1,557 km 3. However, these figures are 31 times lower than those of Russia and they continue to leave Europe dependent, both on Russian gas and gas located in North Africa (mainly Algeria).
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The Countries With the Largest Natural Gas Reserves in the World
| Country | Proven natural gas reserves (km³) |
|---|---|
| 1. Russia | 47,798 |
| 2. Iran | 33,980 |
| 3. Qatar | 23,871 |
| 4. USA | 13,167 |
| 5. Turkmenistan | 11,326 |
| 6. Saudi Arabia | 9,430 |
| 7. China | 6,654 |
| 8. United Arab Emirates | 6,088 |
| 9. Nigeria | 5,748 |
| 10. Venezuela | 5,663 |
| 11. Algeria | 4,502 |
| 12. Iraq | 3,738 |
| 13. Australia | 3,228 |
| 14. Mozambique | 2,832 |
| 15. Canada | 2,067 |
