Nigeria flared about 203.97 billion standard cubic feet (scf) of natural gas in 2025, despite recording an overall gas utilisation rate of more than 92 per cent, according to official data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Figures contained in the NUPRC’s full-year 2025 Gas Production Status Report show that total gas production during the year stood at approximately 2.71 trillion scf, comprising 1.46 trillion scf of Associated Gas and 1.25 trillion scf of Non-Associated Gas. Of this volume, about 2.50 trillion scf was utilised across field operations, domestic supply and exports.
The data indicate that Nigeria flared 203.97 billion scf of gas in 2025, representing 7.54 per cent of total gas produced during the year. This reflects an increase from the 192.9 billion scf flared in 2024, despite ongoing regulatory pressure and gas flare commercialisation initiatives.
Monthly flaring volumes largely ranged between 15 billion scf and 18 billion scf. The highest volumes were recorded in January at 18.7 billion scf and July at 18.3 billion scf. The worst performance occurred in September, when gas utilisation dropped to 90.9 per cent, pushing the flaring rate to 9.05 per cent, the highest recorded in 2025.
Overall, the figures point to modest year-on-year growth in gas output, alongside a continued persistence of routine gas flaring.
Further analysis of the data shows that gas flaring in Nigeria remains largely driven by Associated Gas, which is produced alongside crude oil. Unlike Non-Associated Gas, which is typically developed with dedicated processing and evacuation infrastructure, Associated Gas is more susceptible to flaring when facilities are unavailable or constrained.
Associated Gas production averaged over 120 billion scf per month in 2025, but infrastructure gaps, limited offtake capacity and periodic plant downtime restricted effective utilisation, forcing operators to flare gas during periods of operational disruption. In contrast, Non-Associated Gas production increased year-on-year but accounted for a smaller share of flared volumes due to better alignment with market demand and infrastructure availability.
While Nigeria recorded an overall gas utilisation rate of about 92.4 per cent in 2025, the absolute volume of gas flared highlights the scale of ongoing challenges in the sector.
According to the NUPRC data, about 776.6 billion scf of gas was used for field operations during the year, while approximately 780.6 billion scf was supplied to the domestic market. Gas exports accounted for about 942.7 billion scf, largely through liquefied natural gas shipments.
The flaring of more than 203 billion scf of gas in a single year has significant environmental and economic implications. Gas flaring contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, local air pollution and health risks in host communities.
Nigeria remains among the world’s leading gas-flaring countries and recorded a 12 per cent increase in flared gas volumes in 2024, the second-largest rise globally. However, the NUPRC noted that gas flaring briefly declined to 7.16 per cent in July 2025, marking one of the lowest monthly flaring rates recorded during the year.
