This article needs to be updated.(September 2017) |
This is a list of countries by natural gas imports mostly based on The World Factbook and EIA . For informational purposes several non-sovereign entities are also included in this list.
Many countries are both importers and exporters of natural gas. For instance, although Canada appears on the list below as the world's fourteenth-largest gas importer, It exports more natural gas than it imports, and so is a net exporter of natural gas. See: List of countries by natural gas exports.
Country/Region | Natural gas - imports (m3/year) | Date of information |
---|---|---|
World | 957,600,000,000 | 2007 |
European Union | 420,600,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Japan | 99,774,000,000 | 2018 |
Germany | 155,493,000,000 | 2020 est. |
Italy | 70,200,000,000 | 2011 est. |
United Kingdom | 53,630,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Korea, South | 51,888,000,000 | 2018 |
France | 46,200,000,000 | 2010 est. |
United States | 45,000,000,000 | 2012 est. |
Russia | 38,200,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Turkey | 38,040,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Spain | 36,710,000,000 | 2010 est. |
China | 52,578,000,000 | 2018 [1] |
Ukraine | 26,700,000,000 | 2009 est. |
India | 26,400,000,000 | 2017 [2] |
Netherlands | 25,770,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Canada | 22,530,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Belgium | 19,320,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Belarus | 17,600,000,000 | 2009 est. |
United Arab Emirates | 17,250,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Mexico | 14,590,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Brazil | 12,480,000,000 | 2011 est. |
Austria | 12,130,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Taiwan | 11,790,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Poland | 10,890,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Hungary | 9,636,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Czech Republic | 9,320,000,000 | 2011 est. |
Singapore | 8,400,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Thailand | 8,290,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Iran | 6,900,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Australia | 5,990,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Slovakia | 5,586,000,000 | 2011 est. |
Ireland | 5,293,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Portugal | 5,122,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Finland | 4,782,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Greece | 3,815,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Argentina | 3,780,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Kazakhstan | 3,700,000,000 | 2011 est. |
Switzerland | 3,625,000,000 | 2010 est. |
South Africa | 3,500,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Hong Kong | 3,460,000,000 | 2011 est. |
Lithuania | 3,120,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Jordan | 2,850,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Bulgaria | 2,480,000,000 | 2010 |
Moldova | 2,330,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Romania | 2,290,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Venezuela | 2,180,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Serbia | 2,150,000,000 | 2011 est. |
Armenia | 2,077,000,000 | 2011 est. |
Georgia | 1,740,000,000 | 2011 est. |
Israel | 1,700,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Sweden | 1,626,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Oman | 1,500,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Chile | 1,490,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Luxembourg | 1,366,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Malaysia | 1,269,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Tunisia | 1,250,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Latvia | 1,125,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Vietnam | 1,000,000,000 | 2011 est. |
Croatia | 971,200,000 | 2010 est. |
Syria | 910,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Kuwait | 890,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Slovenia | 890,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Puerto Rico | 756,700,000 | 2009 est. |
Estonia | 701,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Kyrgyzstan | 640,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Dominican Republic | 560,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Morocco | 500,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 390,000,000 | 2010 est. |
Tajikistan | 189,000,000 | 2009 est. |
Macau | 154,500,000 | 2010 est. |
Denmark | 149,000,000 | 2010 est. |
North Macedonia | 136,800,000 | 2011 |
Uruguay | 86,400,000 | 2011 est. |
Mongolia | 11,790 | 2010 est. |
Aruba | 1 | 2009 est. |
Other Countries | 0 | 2009-2011 est. |
The economy of Brunei, a small and wealthy country, is a mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation and welfare measures, and village traditions. It is almost entirely supported by exports of crude oil and natural gas, with revenues from the petroleum sector accounting for over half of GDP. Per capita GDP is high, and substantial income from overseas investment supplements income from domestic production. The government provides for all medical services and subsidizes food and housing. The government has shown progress in its basic policy of diversifying the economy away from oil and gas. Brunei's leaders are concerned that steadily increased integration in the world economy will undermine internal social cohesion although it has taken steps to become a more prominent player by serving as chairman for the 2000 APEC forum. Growth in 1999 was estimated at 2.5% due to higher oil prices in the second half.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the volume of natural gas in the gaseous state at standard conditions for temperature and pressure.
Elba Island is an island in the Savannah River, near the US port city of Savannah, Georgia on the Atlantic Ocean. It functions as an import and export facility for liquefied natural gas. The island lies five miles downstream from the city of Savannah, and is part of Chatham County, Georgia. Its name comes from the Mediterranean island of Elba.
The energy policy of India is to increase the locally produced energy in India and reduce energy poverty, with more focus on developing alternative sources of energy, particularly nuclear, solar and wind energy. Net energy import dependency was 40.9% in 2021-22.
United States energy independence is the concept of eliminating or substantially reducing import of petroleum to satisfy the nation's need for energy. Some proposals for achieving energy independence would permit imports from the neighboring nations of Canada and Mexico, in which case it would be called North American energy independence. Energy independence is espoused by those who want to leave the US unaffected by global energy supply disruptions and would restrict reliance upon politically unstable states for its energy security.
Cove Point LNG Terminal is an offshore liquid natural gas shipping terminal operated by BHE GT&S, a Berkshire Hathaway Energy company. It is located near Lusby, Maryland, United States, on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, and exports liquefied natural gas (LNG) and also stores gas. LNG is exported on specially designed ships known as LNG carriers.
Energy consumption across Russia in 2020 was 7,863 TWh. Russia is a leading global exporter of oil and natural gas and is the fourth highest greenhouse emitter in the world. As of September 2019, Russia adopted the Paris Agreement In 2020, CO2 emissions per capita were 11.2 tCO2.
The natural gas in Qatar covers a large portion of the world supply of natural gas. According to the Oil & Gas Journal, as of January 1, 2011, reserves of natural gas in Qatar were measured at approximately 896 trillion cubic feet ; this measurement means that the state contains 14% of all known natural-gas reserves, as the world's third-largest reserves, behind Russia and Iran. The majority of Qatar's natural gas is located in the massive offshore North Field, which spans an area roughly equivalent to Qatar itself. A part of the world's largest non-associated, natural-gas field, the North Field, is a geological extension of Iran's South Pars / North Dome Gas-Condensate field, which holds an additional 450 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural-gas reserves.
Energy security of the People's Republic of China concerns the need for the People's Republic of China to guarantee itself and its industries long- term access to sufficient energy and raw materials. China has been endeavoring to sign international agreements and secure such supplies; its energy security involves the internal and foreign energy policy of China. Currently, China's energy portfolio consists mainly of domestic coal, oil and gas from domestic and foreign sources, and small quantities of uranium. China has also created a strategic petroleum reserve, to secure emergency supplies of oil for temporary price and supply disruptions. Chinese policy focuses on diversification to reduce oil imports, which used to rely almost exclusively on producers in the Middle East.
Russia supplies a significant volume of fossil fuels to other European countries. In 2021, it was the largest exporter of oil and natural gas to the European Union, (90%) and 40% of gas consumed in the EU came from Russia.
Iran is an energy superpower and the petroleum industry in Iran plays an important part in it. In 2004, Iran produced 5.1 percent of the world's total crude oil, which generated revenues of US$25 billion to US$30 billion and was the country's primary source of foreign currency. At 2006 levels of production, oil proceeds represented about 18.7% of gross domestic product (GDP). However, the importance of the hydrocarbon sector to Iran's economy has been far greater. The oil and gas industry has been the engine of economic growth, directly affecting public development projects, the government's annual budget, and most foreign exchange sources.
Between 2009 and 2014, gas consumption, production, and imports in China have grown dramatically, with two-digit growth. According to CNPC, the installed capacity of gas-fired power plants in the country is expected to reach around 138 million-154 million kilowatts in 2025, and further grow to 261 million-308 million kilowatts by 2030.
In 2021 Russia was the world's second-largest producer of natural gas, producing an estimated 701 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas a year, and the world's largest natural gas exporter, shipping an estimated 250 bcm a year. In 2022 the export market collapsed, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Russia reducing exports after countries refused to pay in rubles.
Natural gas was the United States' largest source of energy production in 2016, representing 33 percent of all energy produced in the country. Natural gas has been the largest source of electrical generation in the United States since July 2015.
Tellurian Inc. is a natural gas company headquartered in Houston, Texas. It was founded in 2016 by Charif Souki and Martin Houston and is led by President and CEO Octávio Simões.
Cheniere Energy, Inc. is an American liquefied natural gas (LNG) company headquartered in Houston, Texas. In February 2016 it became the first American company to export liquefied natural gas. As of 2018 it is a Fortune 500 company.
The 2021–2023 global energy crisis began in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, with much of the globe facing shortages and increased prices in oil, gas and electricity markets. The crisis was caused by a variety of economic factors, including the rapid post-pandemic economic rebound that outpaced energy supply, and escalated into a widespread global energy crisis following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The price of natural gas reached record highs, and as a result, so did electricity in some markets. Oil prices hit their highest level since 2008.
Freeport LNG—also known as Freeport LNG Development, L.P.—is a U.S. exporter of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) located in Freeport, Texas. Freeport was an early entrant to the then emerging U.S. LNG market in the early 2000s, initially as a gas importer, and then pivoted to develop an LNG export terminal in the early 2010s after the US shale gas revolution. LNG import operations came online in 2008, while export operations began in 2019.
The first plant, Sakhalin II, was completed in Russia in 2009 having utilised the skills of Shell plc, who had sold 50% of the project to Gazprom in 2006. Prior to 2017 Gazprom was the sole producer of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in Russia.