Natural gas: Movement

Tankers versus pipelines: who ships gas to whom

What this tab covers How it flows between countries: the largest bilateral trade routes drawn on a world map, 2024 UN Comtrade export and import values with the top exporters and importers by share, plus shipping routes, chokepoints and trade restrictions.

LNG (HS 271111) exports were worth $186 billion in 2024: Qatar 31%, Australia 24% and the United States 16%. China, Japan and South Korea took just over half of imports. Pipeline gas (HS 271121) exports were $125 billion, led by Norway with 39%, then Algeria (12%) and Azerbaijan (7%); Russia is absent from the reported data. Russian pipeline flows to Europe fell from 191 billion cubic metres in 2019 to 51 in 2024 (Energy Institute), and US LNG filled the gap. Belgium and France appear as exporters because they re-export through hubs. LNG routes pass Hormuz, Suez and the Panama Canal.

Main trade routes, 2024

Chart: World map of the largest trade flows

Exporter (size = share of world exports) Importer (share of world imports) Largest bilateral flows (width = value) Shipping chokepoint UN Comtrade 2024, reported exports by the top four exporters of each traded form to their partners (US$). Bubbles: shares of reported world exports and imports for the main traded form. Hover a line or circle for values.

Liquefied natural gas · HS 271111

World exports 2024 $186.4 bn sum of 40 reporting countries World imports 2024 $218.6 bn sum of 40 reporting countries Top exporters, share of value Qatar 30.5% Australia 23.9% United States 15.5% Malaysia 7.1% Indonesia 3.6% Oman 3.5% Top importers, share of value China 20.2% Japan 18.8% South Korea 13.4% India 6.9% Taiwan (Other Asia, nes) 5.4% France 5%

Pipeline gas · HS 271121

World exports 2024 $125.5 bn sum of 40 reporting countries World imports 2024 $148.7 bn sum of 40 reporting countries Top exporters, share of value Norway 39.4% Algeria 12.1% Belgium 7.5% Azerbaijan 6.7% France 5.3% Canada 4.8% Top importers, share of value China 14.2% Italy 12.5% Germany 12.3% France 9.8% United Kingdom 8.3% Belgium 7.9% UN Comtrade, reporter declarations to the world, US$. Exports and imports are reported separately, so totals differ. Re-exporting hubs (Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, UAE) can appear large.