Countries with the largest natural gas reserves in Africa 2023

Natural gas reserves in Africa totaled over 17.89 trillion standard cubic meters in 2023. Nigeria housed the largest reserves in the continent, around 5.94 trillion standard cubic meters – equivalent to roughly three percent of the proved global natural gas reserves. In addition, North Africa accounted for nearly half of the continent’s total gas reserves, with Algeria concentrating the highest amount, some 4.5 trillion standard cubic meters. As natural gas demand increases worldwide, Africa and its resource-richness may play an increasing role in the supply chain. Gas production on the riseNatural gas reserves in Africa will last around another 55.7 years before being depleted, considering that the present level of production is maintained. In 2023, the continent generated 253 billion cubic meters of natural gas. This represented a growth of more than 87 percent in the output level in comparison to 2000. Currently, Algeria is the main natural gas producer in Africa, followed by Egypt and Nigeria, respectively. Naturally, the countries are also the continent’s leading gas exporters. Africa’s potential as an international supplierAs of 2023, Africa’s natural gas exports amounted to over 109.3 billion standard cubic meters, with Algeria, Egypt, and Nigeria as major exporters, as previously mentioned. Most of the African gas exports arrive in Europe, which absorbed 60 percent of the gas exported from Africa in 2019, via pipelines or as LNG. Algeria’s gas exports, for instance, were destined almost entirely for Italy and Spain. The geographical proximity to Europe makes the Northern African country a strategic supplier – although stagnating production levels and lack of infrastructure may impose challenges for increasing the trade level.

2023年，非洲天然气储备总量超过1.789万亿标准立方米。尼日利亚拥有该大陆最大的储备量，约为5.94万亿标准立方米，约占全球已证实的天然气储备量的百分之三。此外，北非地区占据了非洲总天然气储备量的一半左右，其中阿尔及利亚的储备量最为集中，约为4.5万亿标准立方米。随着全球天然气需求的不断增长，非洲及其丰富的资源可能在供应链中扮演越来越重要的角色。在维持当前生产水平的情况下，非洲的天然气储备预计还可维持约55.7年。2023年，该大陆生产的天然气总量达到2530亿立方米，与2000年相比，产量增长了超过87%。目前，阿尔及利亚是非洲主要的天然气生产国，其次是埃及和尼日利亚，这些国家也是该大陆主要的天然气出口国。非洲作为国际供应者的潜力，截至2023年，非洲的天然气出口量超过1093亿标准立方米，其中阿尔及利亚、埃及和尼日利亚是主要的出口国。大多数非洲天然气出口抵达欧洲，2019年，欧洲吸收了来自非洲的60%天然气出口，通过管道或液化天然气（LNG）的形式。例如，阿尔及利亚的天然气出口几乎全部运往意大利和西班牙。由于地理位置的邻近，北非国家成为战略供应商——尽管生产水平停滞不前以及基础设施不足可能对提高贸易水平构成挑战。