India, July 3 -- Nine countries accounted for 83 per cent or more than four-fifths of global gas flaring in 2025 while producing only 46 per cent of the world's oil, according to a new report released by World Bank on June 23, 2026.

Published by the World Bank's Global Flaring and Methane Reduction Partnership in collaboration with the Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines, the report highlights that global gas flaring increased for the third consecutive year, reaching 167 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2025, up from 157 bcm in 2024.

Gas flaring occurs when natural gas produced alongside oil is burned at production sites instead of being captured, processed and sold or used locally. The practice wastes a valuable energy resourc...