Iran ranked third in terms of gas production last year, after the US and Russia, with 256.7 billion cubic meters, according to BP’s latest annual statistical review of world energy.
The report shows that Iran’s production increased by 3.1% in 2021 compared to its output in 2020, IRNA reported.
With 256.7 bcm of gas output, Iran’s share of the world's natural gas production in 2021 was 6.4%.
According to the report, natural gas production in Iran has been on an uptrend since 2011, and the US sanctions imposed against Iran could not stop or reverse the growth of gas production in the country.
In the past decade, natural gas production in Iran has grown by an average 5.4% annually, which is more than twice the global average growth. The world's natural gas production has grown by an average of 2.2% per year in the 10-year period.
Based on the report, the US took the top spot, producing 934.2 bcm of gas last year, which was a 2.3% increase compared to the 2020 figure of 915.9 bcm of gas. Russia ranked second in gas production last year with 701.7 bcm.
Iranians consumed 6% of the world's total gas consumption last year and were the fourth largest gas consumers in the world
Along with the rise in output, consumption also increased last year. The report shows that natural gas consumption in Iran was 241.1 billion cubic meters in 2021, indicating a 3.2% growth compared to the previous year.
Iranian gas consumption comprised 6% of the world's total last year and ranked fourth globally.
Only three countries, namely the US, Russia and China, consumed more gas than Iran in 2021, while the size and population of each of those countries are many times more than Iran.
The consumption of natural gas in Iran is about half the total consumption of natural gas in Europe (42%). European countries consumed 571.1 bcm of gas in 2021.
With people back to work and on the road following the relentless Covid restrictions in 2020, energy consumption made a historic comeback last year, particularly natural gas and renewables.
Primary energy demand rebounded overall by 5.8%, eclipsing the pre-Covid levels in 2019.
In another part of the report, British Petroleum announced that the total global trade of natural gas in the world through the pipeline in 2021 was 704.4 bcm, of which only 2.4% were Iran's share.
Despite the fact that Iran had a share of 6.4% of the total natural gas production in the world last year, due to the high domestic consumption, it only had a 2.4% share of the global gas market.
Iran's total natural gas export in 2021 was 17.3 bcm, of which 9.1 bcm were exported to Turkey and 7.7 bcm to Iraq. 0.5 bcm of Iran's gas exports were also destined for CIS countries.
Natural gas prices last year jumped across all three major gas regions, Asia, Europe and the United States.
Global natural gas demand grew 5.3% in 2021, recovering above pre-pandemic 2019 levels and crossing the 4 trillion-cubic meter mark for the first time.
