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How Much Gas the World Flares — The Energy We Set on Fire for Nothing, and Why the Counter Says 'est.'
Across the world's oilfields, gas is rising out of the ground with the oil and being burned off into the sky — not used, just wasted. So how much natural gas does the world really flare, what does that waste add up to, who counts it from orbit, and why does our counter wear an 'est.' badge instead of reading the world's flares live?
There is a number that is genuinely hard to believe the first time you see it: the amount of natural gas the world burns off and throws away every year, not to make power, but as a side-effect of pumping oil. This counter shows that waste as a running daily total, and like the energy counters beside it, it wears an est. badge — understanding why is the key to reading it honestly.
The number, and what it is
In 2025, the world flared 167 billion cubic metres of natural gas, according to the World Bank's Global Gas Flaring Tracker — the highest level since 2007, up from 151 billion cubic metres in 2024. That works out to:
- roughly 5,294 cubic metres every second, spread evenly across the year;
- about 457 million cubic metres by the end of a single day;
- a volume roughly equal to all of Africa's annual gas consumption.
The crucial thing to understand is that this is not energy the world is using. It is energy the world is wasting.
Why it happens
When oil is pumped out of the ground, natural gas very often comes up with it — "associated gas." Where there's a pipeline or a plant to capture that gas, it gets put to use. But across many of the world's oilfields there is no infrastructure to collect it, and storing it on site can be hazardous, so it is simply burned off at the wellhead in a continuous flame. That flame is the flare. It has been a by-product of oil production for about 160 years, and it is what satellites pick out from orbit.
What the waste adds up to
The World Bank estimates that the gas flared in 2024 was worth about 63 billion US dollars of energy — set alight for nothing. If it were captured instead, it could generate enough electricity to help power regions where more than half a billion people still lack reliable access to it. And it pollutes as it burns: flaring released roughly 389 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent in 2024, and because flares don't burn perfectly, some gas escapes unburnt as methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas in the short term. So flaring is doubly wasteful — it destroys a valuable fuel and warms the planet. A global "zero routine flaring by 2030" initiative is trying to end it, though the total has lately been rising.
Where the figure comes from
The number is measured from space. The World Bank's Global Flaring and Methane Reduction Partnership, working with NOAA and the Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines, uses satellites carrying infrared sensors that scan the whole globe each day and pick out the heat signature of gas flares — which burn hotter than almost any other source on the ground, including volcanoes. Those readings are converted into volume estimates. It is the only global, independent indicator of flaring, and it has used the same satellite method for over a decade, which is what makes the figure solid.
Why it says "est."
The satellites build up their picture over a whole year, not second by second. What we do is take the World Bank's most recent verified annual figure and spread it evenly across the seconds of the year, then show how much has built up since midnight UTC. It is an honest yearly average made visible, not a live feed, and the est. badge says exactly that.
See where it comes from
A single figure hides the thousands of flares making it. Open the oil & gas fields in Grid and the world's upstream extraction sites appear on the map — the places where, for want of a pipeline, this gas is escaping into the sky. This counter is the world's flared gas as one ticking figure; Grid is the field of wells it burns off from.
Frequently asked questions
How much gas does the world flare in a year?
About 167 billion cubic metres in 2025, according to the World Bank's Global Gas Flaring Tracker — the most recent full-year figure, and the highest level since 2007 (it was 151 billion cubic metres in 2024). Spread evenly across the year that works out to roughly 5,294 cubic metres every second, so by the end of a day our counter has climbed to about 457 million cubic metres. That is gas burned off and wasted, not gas used for energy.
What is gas flaring, and why does it happen?
When oil is pumped out of the ground, natural gas very often comes up with it — this is called 'associated gas.' Where there is a pipeline or plant to capture that gas, it gets used. But in many oilfields there is no infrastructure to collect it, and storing it can be dangerous, so the gas is simply burned off at the wellhead in a continuous flame — a 'flare.' It has been a side-effect of oil production since drilling began around 160 years ago. The flame is what NASA-style satellites pick out from orbit.
How much energy is that, really?
An enormous amount, all wasted. The volume the world flares each year is roughly equal to the entire annual gas consumption of Africa. The World Bank estimates the 2024 flaring was worth about 63 billion US dollars of energy — burned for nothing — and that if captured, the gas could generate enough electricity to help power regions where more than half a billion people still lack reliable access to it. That contrast is the point of the counter: this is not energy the world is using, it is energy the world is throwing away.
Doesn't flaring also cause pollution?
Yes. Burning the gas releases carbon dioxide — the World Bank estimates flaring put about 389 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent into the atmosphere in 2024. Worse, flares don't burn perfectly, so some gas escapes unburnt as methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than CO₂ in the short term. So flaring is doubly wasteful: it destroys a valuable fuel and pollutes at the same time. A global initiative aims for 'zero routine flaring' by 2030, though the total has been rising, not falling.
Is the counter a live reading of the world's flares?
No, and that is the whole reason for the 'est.' badge. The satellites that detect flares build up a picture over a whole year, not second by second. What we do instead is take the World Bank's most recent verified annual figure and spread it evenly across the seconds of the year, then show how much has built up since midnight UTC. It is an honest yearly average made visible, not a live feed. The honest read is the leading figures and the rate, not the last digits rolling past.
Who measures it, and how reliable is the number?
The World Bank's Global Flaring and Methane Reduction Partnership, working with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines. Satellites carrying infrared sensors scan the whole globe each day and pick out the heat signature of gas flares — which burn hotter than almost any other source on the ground, including volcanoes — then convert those readings into volume estimates. It is the only global, independent indicator of flaring, and it has used the same satellite method for over a decade, which is what makes the figure a solid one rather than a guess.
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