- Natural Gas Production refers to the total volume of marketable natural gas extracted from underground reservoirs within a country during a given year.
South and Central America Natural Gas Production was 162 Billion Cubic Metres in 2023, down 1% on 2022. The Natural Gas Production dataset of South and Central America from 2015 to 2023 provides a comprehensive overview of the region's natural gas output, highlighting production trends, upstream developments, and long-term changes across the natural gas sector. Measured in billion cubic metres (bcm), the dataset represents the total volume of marketable natural gas produced annually.
South and Central America Natural Gas Production moved from 178.6 Billion Cubic Metres in 2015 to 162 Billion Cubic Metres in 2023 (−9.3%), an average of −1.2% a year. The series high was 181.3 Billion Cubic Metres in 2017 and the low 156.6 Billion Cubic Metres in 2020.
The gap between the series high (2017) and low (2020) is 24.70 Billion Cubic Metres. The sharpest single-year move was −9% in 2020.
Within South and Central America, Argentina has the highest value in 2023 at 41.60 Billion Cubic Metres, 25.7% of the regional total.
Country ranking
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Billion Cubic Metres, 2023. Each bar is that region's total.
Full series
Complete annual series with year-on-year change. Values are reported in Billion Cubic Metres.
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| Year | Billion Cubic Metres | Change vs prior year |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 162 | −1% |
| 2022 | 163.6 | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 158.5 | +1.2% |
| 2020 Trough | 156.6 | −9% |
| 2019 | 172 | −2.2% |
| 2018 | 175.8 | −3% |
| 2017Peak | 181.3 | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 178 | −0.3% |
| 2015 | 178.6 | — |
Data definition
Natural Gas Production — - Natural Gas Production refers to the total volume of marketable natural gas extracted from underground reservoirs within a country during a given year. It is typically measured in billion cubic meters (bcm) and represents the production of natural gas that is available for sale, distribution, or consumption after the removal of impurities and non-hydrocarbon components where applicable. The indicator includes gas produced from both associated gas fields (produced alongside crude oil) and non-associated gas fields. Natural Gas Production is a key measure of a country's upstream gas industry, resource availability, energy security, and contribution to domestic and global natural gas supply.
The data includes the production of marketable natural gas from conventional and unconventional sources, including associated gas, non-associated gas, shale gas, tight gas, coalbed methane, and offshore gas fields where commercially recoverable. It covers gas produced for domestic consumption, exports, storage injection, and industrial use after field processing to remove water, impurities, and certain non-hydrocarbon gases, as defined by national reporting methodologies. Production from both onshore and offshore operations is included. The indicator is compiled using standardized international energy reporting methodologies based on national production statistics and industry data, enabling consistent comparison of natural gas production across countries and over time.
The data excludes natural gas that is vented, flared, reinjected into reservoirs for pressure maintenance, or otherwise not marketed unless specifically included under national reporting practices. It also excludes natural gas liquids (NGLs), lease condensate, crude oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing volumes, and refined petroleum products. The indicator does not measure natural gas consumption, reserves, imports, exports, pipeline transmission, storage inventories, or distribution losses. Differences in national reporting standards, definitions of marketable gas, processing practices, and estimation methodologies may result in minor variations in reported values across countries.
Natural Gas Production — - Natural Gas Production refers to the total volume of marketable natural gas extracted from underground reservoirs within a country during a given year. It is typically measured in billion cubic meters (bcm) and represents the production of natural gas that is available for sale, distribution, or consumption after the removal of impurities and non-hydrocarbon components where applicable. The indicator includes gas produced from both associated gas fields (produced alongside crude oil) and non-associated gas fields. Natural Gas Production is a key measure of a country's upstream gas industry, resource availability, energy security, and contribution to domestic and global natural gas supply.
It serves as an important indicator of upstream production capability, regional energy availability, export potential, and the region's ability to support electricity generation, industrial development, and long-term energy security.
South and Central America produced 178.6 bcm of natural gas in 2015, remaining nearly stable at 178.0 bcm in 2016 before increasing to 181.3 bcm in 2017. Regional production declined to 175.8 bcm in 2018 and 172.0 bcm in 2019, followed by a sharper drop to 156.6 bcm in 2020. Output recovered to 158.5 bcm in 2021 and 163.6 bcm in 2022 before easing slightly to 162.0 bcm in 2023. Argentina increased production from 35.5 bcm to 41.6 bcm, Brazil remained relatively stable between 23.0–27.2 bcm, Colombia maintained output near 12 bcm, while Venezuela declined from 36.1 bcm to 29.7 bcm over the review period.
Overall, the dataset demonstrates moderate fluctuations in South and Central America's natural gas production throughout the review period. Production remained broadly stable until 2017, declined between 2018 and 2020, and partially recovered during 2021–2023, reflecting changing upstream investment, field performance, infrastructure development, maintenance activities, and evolving domestic and export market conditions.
The dataset is valuable for evaluating South and Central America's natural gas production trends, assessing upstream sector performance, and analyzing long-term regional supply dynamics. It supports energy market analysis, investment planning, infrastructure development, and policy evaluation while providing valuable insights for researchers, industry stakeholders, analysts, and policymakers monitoring production capacity, energy security, export opportunities, and future industry development.
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Definition- Natural Gas Production refers to the total volume of marketable natural gas extracted from underground reservoirs within a country during a given year. It is typically measured in billion cubic meters (bcm) and represents the production of natural gas that is available for sale, distribution, or consumption after the removal of impurities and non-hydrocarbon components where applicable. The indicator includes gas produced from both associated gas fields (produced alongside crude oil) and non-associated gas fields. Natural Gas Production is a key measure of a country's upstream gas industry, resource availability, energy security, and contribution to domestic and global natural gas supply.
South and Central America Natural Gas Production was 162 Billion Cubic Metres in 2023, down 1% on 2022.
South and Central America Natural Gas Production moved from 178.6 Billion Cubic Metres in 2015 to 162 Billion Cubic Metres in 2023 (−9.3%), an average of −1.2% a year. The series high was 181.3 Billion Cubic Metres in 2017 and the low 156.6 Billion Cubic Metres in 2020.
The highest value was 181.3 Billion Cubic Metres in 2017 and the lowest was 156.6 Billion Cubic Metres in 2020.
Included: The data includes the production of marketable natural gas from conventional and unconventional sources, including associated gas, non-associated gas, shale gas, tight gas, coalbed methane, and offshore gas fields where commercially recoverable. It covers gas produced for domestic consumption, exports, storage injection, and industrial use after field processing to remove water, impurities, and certain non-hydrocarbon gases, as defined by national reporting methodologies. Production from both onshore and offshore operations is included. The indicator is compiled using standardized international energy reporting methodologies based on national production statistics and industry data, enabling consistent comparison of natural gas production across countries and over time. Excluded: The data excludes natural gas that is vented, flared, reinjected into reservoirs for pressure maintenance, or otherwise not marketed unless specifically included under national reporting practices. It also excludes natural gas liquids (NGLs), lease condensate, crude oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing volumes, and refined petroleum products. The indicator does not measure natural gas consumption, reserves, imports, exports, pipeline transmission, storage inventories, or distribution losses. Differences in national reporting standards, definitions of marketable gas, processing practices, and estimation methodologies may result in minor variations in reported values across countries.
The series is sourced from energyinst.org (https://www.energyinst.org/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1542714/684_EI_Stat_Review_V16_DIGITAL.pdf). It covers 2015–2023 and is reported in Billion Cubic Metres.
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