Gas reserves in China
China: Gas reserves was 6.65 trillion cubic meters in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Gas reserves in China, 1980–2021
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gas reserves in China is 6.65 trillion cubic meters, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.4% on the previous year and up 119.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gas reserves in China peaked at 6.65 trillion cubic meters in 2021 and was at its lowest, 690.93 billion cubic meters, in 1982.
That places China 8th out of 215 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Gas reserves in China, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 707.92 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 693.76 billion cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 1982 | 690.93 billion cubic meters | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 843.84 billion cubic meters | +22.1% |
| 1984 | 858.00 billion cubic meters | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 874.99 billion cubic meters | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 849.50 billion cubic meters | -2.9% |
| 1987 | 849.50 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 869.33 billion cubic meters | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 897.64 billion cubic meters | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 999.59 billion cubic meters | +11.4% |
| 1991 | 999.59 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.00 trillion cubic meters | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 1.40 trillion cubic meters | +39.5% |
| 1994 | 1.67 trillion cubic meters | +19.4% |
| 1995 | 1.67 trillion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1.67 trillion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1.17 trillion cubic meters | -29.9% |
| 1998 | 1.16 trillion cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 1.37 trillion cubic meters | +17.8% |
| 2000 | 1.37 trillion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1.37 trillion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1.37 trillion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.51 trillion cubic meters | +10.4% |
| 2004 | 1.51 trillion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1.51 trillion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.51 trillion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 2.27 trillion cubic meters | +50.0% |
| 2008 | 2.27 trillion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2.27 trillion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 3.03 trillion cubic meters | +33.7% |
| 2011 | 3.03 trillion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3.03 trillion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 4.00 trillion cubic meters | +32.0% |
| 2014 | 4.40 trillion cubic meters | +10.0% |
| 2015 | 4.64 trillion cubic meters | +5.5% |
| 2016 | 4.95 trillion cubic meters | +6.5% |
| 2017 | 5.22 trillion cubic meters | +5.6% |
| 2018 | 5.90 trillion cubic meters | +12.9% |
| 2019 | 6.02 trillion cubic meters | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 6.31 trillion cubic meters | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 6.65 trillion cubic meters | +5.4% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 6.65 trillion cubic meters is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.79 billion cubic meters, 1753.7× the median. (55 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gas reserves in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +50.0% | 1.51 trillion cubic meters | 2.27 trillion cubic meters |
| 1993 | +39.5% | 1.00 trillion cubic meters | 1.40 trillion cubic meters |
| 2010 | +33.7% | 2.27 trillion cubic meters | 3.03 trillion cubic meters |
| 1997 | -29.9% | 1.67 trillion cubic meters | 1.17 trillion cubic meters |
| 2013 | +32.0% | 3.03 trillion cubic meters | 4.00 trillion cubic meters |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 813.54 billion cubic meters | 690.93 billion cubic meters | 897.64 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.31 trillion cubic meters | 999.59 billion cubic meters | 1.67 trillion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.69 trillion cubic meters | 1.37 trillion cubic meters | 2.27 trillion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.42 trillion cubic meters | 3.03 trillion cubic meters | 6.02 trillion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.48 trillion cubic meters | 6.31 trillion cubic meters | 6.65 trillion cubic meters | 2 |
Countries ranked near China
- 5 United States 13.18 trillion cubic meters compare
- 6 Turkmenistan 11.33 trillion cubic meters compare
- 7 Saudi Arabia 9.42 trillion cubic meters compare
- 9 United Arab Emirates 6.09 trillion cubic meters compare
- 10 Nigeria 5.76 trillion cubic meters compare
- 11 Venezuela 5.67 trillion cubic meters compare
More energy & mining data for China
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 2.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 20.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gas reserves in China?
- Gas reserves in China was 6.65 trillion cubic meters in 2021, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gas reserves recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 6.65 trillion cubic meters in 2021.
- What is the lowest gas reserves recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 690.93 billion cubic meters in 1982.
- How does China rank for gas reserves?
- China ranks 8th out of 215 countries with data for 2021.
- Is gas reserves rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 119.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gas reserves. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proved reserves, measured in cubic meters, are generally those quantities that can be recovered in the future from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions, according to geological and engineering information.