Natural gas

Natural gas supplies 22% of the energy used worldwide, and makes up nearly a quarter of electricity generation, as well as playing a crucial role as a feedstock for industry. Natural gas is a versatile fuel and its growth is linked in part to its environmental benefits relative to other fossil fuels, particularly for air quality as well as greenhouse gas emissions.

	Industry	Power generation	Buildings & Other sectors
China	55	35	76
Middle East	23	35	12
Other Asia Pacific	30	15	6
United States	18	10	11
India	18	6	4
Africa	8	13	6
Other North America	12	10	1
Central and South America	5	2	5
Other Eurasia	5	5	1
Europe	1	6	-6
Russia	4	-6	-13
Japan	1	-24	3

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Source: Market Report Series: Gas 2019

The natural gas market is becoming more globalized, driven by the availability of shale gas and the rising supplies of liquefied natural gas. As gas trade increases, so do the concerns about natural gas security, as a demand or supply shock in one region may now have repercussions in others.

Our work on Natural gas

• Market Report Series: Gas 2019
  Explores changes underway for gas supply and demand, and other trends that are set to determine the evolution of the market over the next five years
• Global Gas Security Review 2018
  In-depth analysis of recent security-related issues and lessons learned
• IEA Unconventional Gas Forum
  The objective of this forum is to enable governments around the globe to share insights, alongside input from industry and other key stakeholders, on operational best practices and regulatory action
• Natural Gas Statistics
  Free monthly data as well as paid monthly and annual data services on natural gas production, consumption, imports and exports including detailed end-use data for OECD countries
• Key Natural Gas Trends
  This overview from Natural Gas Information 2017 contains a summary of the most recent key trends in natural gas production, import prices, imports and demand up to 2015, with provisional data for 2016
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  The Technology Collaboration Programme (TCP) on gas & oil technologies aims to catalyse innovation across oil and gas technologies and to provide collaborative opportunities for enhancing national capabilities within both onshore and offshore activities