Global liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade climbed to a record 437 million tonnes in 2025, registering 6.3 percent year-on-year growth, according to the International Gas Union’s (IGU) World LNG Report 2026.
However, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are expected to make 2026 one of the most challenging years for the global LNG market.
The report said global LNG trade expanded by approximately 25 million tonnes last year, driven primarily by higher exports from the United States, Qatar, Malaysia, Angola and Nigeria.
Canada and the Mauritania-Senegal LNG project also entered the export market with their first cargoes, further diversifying global supply.
Investment in new LNG production also accelerated. Developers approved 68.4 million tonnes per year (mtpa) of new liquefaction capacity in 2025, the highest annual total since 2019.
Over the 2021-2025 period, nearly 206 mtpa of new LNG capacity was sanctioned, roughly double the volume approved during the previous five-year period, with most projects concentrated along the US Gulf Coast.
