Comparison
Pipeline gas vs LNG, by the numbers
Two ways to deliver the same molecule, compared in aggregate rather than route by route. For when each one actually wins on cost, speed and flexibility, see the LNG vs pipeline gas explainer.
The two networks in aggregate
Operating status only — proposed and under-construction capacity is excluded from both totals.
| Gas pipelines | LNG terminals | |
|---|---|---|
| Assets tracked | 4,246 | 813 |
| Operating today | 2,975 | 257 |
| Countries reached | 139 | 156 |
| Operating length | 1,173,317 km | — |
| Operating capacity, native unit | 14319 bcm/y | 1689 Mtpa |
| Operating capacity, bcm/y equivalent | 14319 bcm/y | 2297 bcm/y |
LNG's bcm/y row applies the standard 1.36 bcm per Mtpa conversion GEM uses — see the unit converter for the full set of factors. Explore the pipeline directory and terminal directory for individual assets.
Common questions
Each answer stands on its own.
- Which moves more gas, pipelines or LNG?
- By operating capacity, pipelines: 14319 bcm/y across 2,975 operating pipelines, against roughly 2297 bcm/y equivalent from 1689 Mtpa of LNG terminal capacity. Most of the world's gas still moves by pipe; LNG is the minority that crosses water or reaches markets no pipeline connects.
- Is the LNG figure converted or reported that way by GEM?
- Converted. Global Energy Monitor reports LNG terminal capacity in million tonnes per year (Mtpa) and pipeline capacity in billion cubic metres per year (bcm/y) — different units for different physical processes. The bcm/y figure above applies the standard 1.36 bcm per Mtpa conversion this site uses throughout (see the unit converter) so the two totals sit on the same axis; it does not mean the two networks are interchangeable.
- Why isn’t this broken down by country or route?
- Because the tracker does not pair a specific pipeline against a specific LNG route as competing alternatives for the same delivery — that judgment depends on geography, contract terms and politics the data does not encode. Aggregate totals are what this comparison can honestly support; the explainer works through how the choice is actually made case by case.
- Does either total include capacity that is proposed rather than built?
- No, both totals here are operating capacity only, for the same reason capacity at different statuses is never combined elsewhere on this site: a proposed pipeline or terminal may never be built, and mixing it into an operating total would describe no real state of the world.
For when a pipeline beats LNG and when it doesn't, read LNG against pipeline gas.