According to the World Bank, the total volume of gas flared in the world increased by 3% from 145 bcm in 2018 to 150 bcm in 2019, mainly due to three countries where gas flaring surged, namely the United States (+23%), Venezuela (+16%) and Russia (+9%). Gas flaring also rose in conflict-affected countries such as Syria (+35%, despite a flat oil production) and Venezuela (+16% despite a 40% fall in oil production). The four largest gas flaring countries - Russia, Iraq, the United States, and Iran - accounted for 45% of all global gas flaring over the 2017-2019 period. Outside these four countries, gas flaring declined by 10%, i.e. by 9 bcm from 2012 to 2019. So far, over 80 governments and companies accounting for over half of the global gas flaring have committed to end this practice, which results in methane emissions exceeding 400 MtCO2eq/year.
Recent studies have highlighted a 10% increase in global methane emissions over the past two decades, reaching around 600 MtCO2eq/year in 2017 (most recent year with comprehensive data). Most of these emissions come from agriculture and waste (60%), with the remaining 40% coming from fossil fuel combustion.