Dry Natural Gas Production by Country 2026: EIA 2024 Ranking

What dry natural gas production measures

EIA defines dry natural gas production as marketed natural gas production after extraction loss has been removed. Extraction loss reflects the reduction in gas volume associated with separating natural gas plant liquids from the gas stream during processing.

Gross withdrawals are measured earlier in the production chain. Marketed production removes gas used for repressuring, volumes vented or flared and nonhydrocarbon gases removed during treatment or processing. Dry production then deducts extraction loss from marketed production.

The table therefore answers a specific question: which countries produced the largest physical volumes of dry natural gas in 2024? It does not measure production value, export revenue, remaining reserves, gas quality, production cost or the share of output sold internationally.

Top 10 countries by dry natural gas production

The United States occupies a distinct first tier. Russia ranks second, followed by Iran and China. Canada, Qatar, Australia, Norway, Saudi Arabia and Algeria complete the ten largest producers in the EIA 2024 series used here.

Top 10 dry natural gas producers, 2024

Rank follows the 2024 EIA International Energy Statistics dry-production series. Values are presented in billion cubic meters and rounded for display.

Methodology

The ranking uses the U.S. Energy Information Administration International Energy Statistics series for dry natural gas production. Every published country row uses target year 2024, and values are ranked from highest to lowest.

Dry production versus other natural gas measures

EIA defines dry natural gas production as marketed production less extraction loss. Marketed production is gross withdrawals less gas used for repressuring, quantities vented and flared and nonhydrocarbon gases removed during treatment or processing. LNG and pipeline exports are trade flows rather than production measures.

How differences between EIA publications are handled

Country values are kept on one International Energy Statistics series so that the same source and revision context applies throughout the ranking. Values from separately published EIA country analysis briefs are not substituted into individual rows.

Rounding and conversion

Values are displayed to one decimal place where appropriate. One trillion cubic feet is approximately 28.31685 billion cubic meters. Country rank follows the underlying series value rather than the rounded display label.

Inclusion and exclusions

The published scope is Top 50. Countries below rank 50 are outside this page's stated coverage. No missing 2024 values are estimated for inclusion, and no country is added using marketed production, gross withdrawals or trade statistics.

Limits

International energy statistics can be revised as national reporting changes or additional information becomes available, and some historical country observations can incorporate EIA estimates. Dry production does not measure production cost, calorific value, gas composition, domestic demand, export share, LNG capacity, pipeline capacity or economic value.

Main ranking: Top 50 dry natural gas producers

Search by country, filter by region or data status, change the sort order, or narrow the table to the Top 10 or Top 20. All rows belong to the same 2024 dry-production series used for this ranking.

Dry natural gas production by country, 2024 — billion cubic meters

Primary ranking source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics, Dry natural gas production, target year 2024.

What stands out in the Top 50

How to interpret the ranking

A high position means a country produces a large annual volume of dry natural gas. It does not automatically mean the country exports a large share of that gas. Domestic demand, pipeline infrastructure and LNG liquefaction capacity determine how much production ultimately reaches foreign markets.

Production should also be kept separate from reserves. Annual production is a flow measured over a year, whereas proved reserves represent quantities expected to be recoverable under specified economic and operating conditions. Countries with large reserves do not necessarily have equally high annual production.

LNG rankings answer another question. LNG exports measure liquefied gas shipped internationally. Dry natural gas production measures gas produced inside the country after extraction loss, whether it is later consumed domestically, transported by pipeline or liquefied for export.

Comparisons are strongest when one definition, year and source series are maintained across all rows. This page therefore keeps the EIA International Energy Statistics dry-production series intact instead of replacing individual country values with figures from differently dated publications.

FAQ

Sources