Nigeria has recorded a significant decline in its natural gas demand, dropping by 1.48 billion cubic meters (bcm) year-on-year as of November 2025.
This development was contained in the January 2026 Monthly Oil & Gas Data Review released by the International Energy Forum (IEF), which tracks global energy flows and market trends.
According to the report, Nigeria’s sharp reduction in gas consumption was a major outlier in the global market, significantly offsetting demand growth recorded in other regions.
While the United States, Canada, and Algeria posted increases in natural gas demand of 2.8 bcm, 1.4 bcm, and 0.9 bcm respectively, Nigeria’s consumption figures took a downward turn.
The IEF data highlighted that the year-on-year global growth in natural gas demand was dampened by significant contractions in specific markets. Nigeria led this decline with a drop of 1.48 bcm, followed by Italy (-1.3 bcm), the United Kingdom (-1 bcm), Germany (-0.76 bcm), and Turkey (-0.51 bcm).
The drop in gas demand raises concerns regarding the performance of Nigeria’s industrial and power sectors, which are the primary consumers of natural gas. A reduction of this magnitude suggests a potential slowdown in power generation or industrial utilization, sectors that the federal government has been keen to expand under the Decade of Gas initiative.
The report further noted that despite these regional declines, global natural gas demand in JODI-reporting countries still managed to rise by 2.3 bcm year-on-year, driven largely by the robust consumption patterns in North America and parts of the Middle East.
On the supply side, the report indicated that natural gas production in reporting countries rose by 8 bcm year-on-year.
This production surge was led by the United States (+7.3 bcm), China (+1.2 bcm), and Qatar (+0.85 bcm), although it was partially offset by lower production from Russia.
For Nigeria, however, the spotlight remains on the demand side of the equation. As the country continues to push for gas-based industrialization, stakeholders will likely be looking into the factors driving this steep decline in domestic consumption.