Shale Gas by Country 2024

Shale gas is a natural gas that's trapped inside shale formations.

According to the United States Energy Information Agency (EIA), 7,299 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of shale gas is produced per year. Only three countries produce shale gas commercially, including Canada, China, and Argentina.

The United States is the number one producer and exporter of shale gas at 26.8 trillion cubic feet a year. Shale gas production is predicted to reach 34 trillion Tcf by 2050.

China currently produces 23 billion cubic meters of shale gas each year. Shale production in China has increased over the last ten years, with a 21% annual growth since 2017.

The Vaca Muerta formation in Argentina produces 41.6 billion cubic feet (Mm3) of shale gas every year. The United States Energy Information Agency estimates Argentina has 802 trillion Tcf in recoverable shale gas.

When it comes to untapped shale gas resources, Algeria has 20 trillion cubic meters of recoverable shale gas. Algeria is the fourth-largest exporter in the world, with 60% of production going to Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Tunisia, Italy, and Slovenia.

Canada has fifteen prospective shale gas formations with 573 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas. The EIA estimates that Canadian shale gas production will reach 12.8 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day by 2025.

Mexico is a net importer of shale gas due to a lack of access to water. The US. Energy Information Administration estimates that Mexico has 681 Tcf of commercially recoverable shale gas, with most of it located in a formation in Burgos Basin in northeastern Mexico's Coahuila.

Russia has the second-largest shale oil reserves in the world, with t 1,688 trillion cubic feet. 84% of all shale gas exported from Russia goes through pipelines that connect Russia to Europe and Eastern Asia.

Libya's Silurvian and Devonian formations produce 55 trillion cubic feet of gas yearly. It's estimated that there are 290 trillion cubic feet of recoverable shale gas.