In a worrying climate signal global gas flaring surged to its highest level since 2007 releasing an estimated 389 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions in 2024. The new data, published in the World Bank Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report, reveals a sharp uptick in both carbon dioxide and unburnt methane pollution from oil extraction activities worldwide.
Of the total emissions, 46 million tonnes came from unburnt methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than CO₂. The total volume of gas flared reached 151 billion cubic metres (bcm) a 3 bcm jump from 2023 wasting gas equal to nearly the entire annual consumption of the African continent.
The rise poses a major threat to the Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 goal set by the World Bank and United Nations. Achieving this target will now require nearly 40% annual reductions in flaring over the next five years an increasingly ambitious task.
Top oil-producing nations remain the biggest culprits. Russia, Iran, Iraq, the US, Venezuela, Algeria, Libya, Mexico, and Nigeria collectively accounted for 76% of all flaring in 2024. Among them, Nigeria stood out, registering a 12% spike in flare volumes the second-highest global increase despite oil production rising by just 3%.
The report attributes 60% of Nigeria’s flaring to its state-owned oil firm and smaller operators who often lack the infrastructure to capture and utilise excess gas. These producers were also responsible for 75% of Nigeria’s flare increase last year.
Some countries, however, showed improvement. Libya reduced flaring by 8%, partly due to shutdowns triggered by political unrest. Nations like Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan who endorse the ZRF initiative are steadily decreasing their flaring through policy and technology shifts.
Still, the global trend remains concerning. The World Bank has warned that without urgent investment and enforcement, routine flaring will continue undermining climate efforts and releasing dangerous levels of methane.
With time running out before the 2030 deadline, the report calls for stronger government oversight, climate-aligned oil policies, and accelerated clean technology adoption to stop routine gas flaring from becoming a runaway climate disaster.