# Nitrogen gas: Production

Why nobody counts the world's inert nitrogen

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nitrogen_gas/production/

Why nobody counts the world's inert nitrogen What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.

| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| **World capacity** | not published |  | no public census of nitrogen capacity |
| **World output** | not published for inert nitrogen; about 157 Mt N2 fixed in ammonia (2024) |  | IFA via DTN (2025); stoichiometry |
| **Capacity utilisation** | not published | Oxygen-led ASUs often vent surplus nitrogen; producers liquefy what the market will take. | industry practice (indicative) |
| **Concentration** | top-5 gas companies about 80-84% of the industrial gases market | Many users make their own nitrogen with PSA or membranes, which lowers the true market concentration. | MarketsandMarkets (2024) |
| **New capacity** | new on-site plants follow semiconductor fabs, LNG and chemicals | India's first chip fabs (Tata Electronics at Dholera, Micron at Sanand) need ultra-high purity nitrogen plants from gas majors (indicative). Green ammonia projects, such as AM Green at Kakinada and SECI-awarded plants totalling 724 kt a year, need ASU nitrogen. | SECI via ESMAP (2025); fab projects indicative |

#### Top producing countries

- **China**: not published; proxy: 49 Mt N of ammonia (30.6% of world, USGS 2025e)
- **India**: not published; proxy: 15 Mt N of ammonia
- **Russia**: not published; proxy: 15 Mt N of ammonia
- **United States**: not published; proxy: 14 Mt N of ammonia
- **Taiwan, South Korea, Japan**: not published; large electronics demand
 USGS MCS 2026; indicative

#### Largest producers: global

| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Linde** nitrogen volume not disclosed | UK/US/Germany | 33.99 $ billion sales, all gases | 2025 | [Linde 2025 Annual Report](https://www.lobbyregister.bundestag.de/media/42/b1/812501/2025-annual-report-to-shareholders.pdf) |
| **Air Liquide** not retrieved | France | not published | 2025 | [company](https://www.airliquide.com/) |
| **Air Products** not retrieved; also a leading maker of PSA and membrane nitrogen generators (PRISM) | US | not published | FY2025 | [company](https://www.airproducts.com/) |
| **Nippon Sanso Holdings** strong in electronics nitrogen | Japan | not published | 2025 | [MarketsandMarkets top-5](https://www.nipponsanso-hd.co.jp/en/) |
| **Messer** not retrieved | Germany | not published | 2025 | [MarketsandMarkets top-5](https://www.messergroup.com/) |

#### Largest producers: India

| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Linde India** | India | 466 $ million commercial gas revenue, all gases | 2024 | [gasworld India report (2025)](https://gasworld.com/story/india-country-report-market-for-industrial-gases-grows-500m-in-decade/2154302.article) |
| **INOX Air Products** | India | 456 $ million commercial gas revenue, all gases | 2024 | [gasworld India report (2025)](https://gasworld.com/story/india-country-report-market-for-industrial-gases-grows-500m-in-decade/2154302.article) |
| **Air Liquide India** | India | not published | 2024 | [gasworld India report (2025)](https://gasworld.com/story/india-country-report-market-for-industrial-gases-grows-500m-in-decade/2154302.article) |

India is self-sufficient in nitrogen. Supply is split between merchant gas companies and many on-site PSA units at pharma, food and chemical plants; no national nitrogen statistics are published.

#### Position by region

| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| **US** | Self-sufficient; large on-site networks on the Gulf Coast. |
| **EU** | Self-sufficient; power prices drive cost. |
| **India** | Self-sufficient; contract nitrogen about $45/t (June 2023, Intratec); demand rising with pharma, food, chips. |
| **China** | Largest market via chemicals, electronics and coal-to-chemicals. |
| **Japan** | Large electronics demand; Nippon Sanso is the main supplier. |
| **Middle East** | Large ASU nitrogen for LNG, petrochemicals and reservoir pressure maintenance. |

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nitrogen_gas/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nitrogen_gas/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nitrogen_gas/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nitrogen_gas/routes/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nitrogen_gas/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nitrogen_gas/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nitrogen_gas/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nitrogen_gas/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nitrogen_gas/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nitrogen_gas/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nitrogen_gas/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nitrogen_gas/links/index.md)