The United States held onto its crown in 2024 as the world’s top exporter of liquefied natural gas, while Chinese imports of U.S. LNG ground to halt in the first month of this year.
U.S. exporters shipped 11.9 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of LNG overseas last year, roughly the same amount as in 2023, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in a report issued Thursday. The United States, which bested Australia and Qatar in 2024, has been the world’s largest exporter for two straight years.
While more than half of all U.S. LNG exports went to Europe in 2024, the share of U.S. shipments to Asia rose from 26 percent in 2023 to 33 percent last year. Making up the lion’s share of Asia’s total were four countries: Japan, India, South Korea and China, according to EIA, which is an arm of the Department of Energy.
In a separate report posted this week, DOE indicated U.S. LNG imports into China plunged from 7.2 bcf in December 2024 to none in January. China imported 7.9 bcf of U.S. LNG in January 2024, the department said.
