Half of natural gas that India uses comes from abroad:Qatar UAE account for more than 50% of natural gas New Delhi imports

Against the backdrop of rising apprehension of citizens regarding the availability of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cooking gas cylinders in India, let’s dive deep into the fact of how much India is dependent on other nations for procurement of natural gas (a key ingredient of LPG). India needs a lot of energy to power its homes, factories, and vehicles. One important type of energy is natural gas, which is used for cooking, making electricity, and in many industries. But India doesn’t produce enough natural gas on its own, so it has to buy it from other countries. India is the world’s second-largest importer of LPG. The country meets 60% of its aggregate LPG consumption through imports. Out of this 60%, around 90% comes from West Asia through the Strait of Hormuz. Lets see on which countries India is dependent for natural gas! Qatar: The Top Supplier Citing commerce ministry data, Groww, says that the biggest supplier of natural gas to India is Qatar. Imagine Qatar as India’s main gas station. About 33.1% of all the natural gas that India buys from other countries comes from Qatar. In terms of money, this amounts to a whopping $6.79 billion (₹61,789 crore) worth of gas during the period from April to December 2025. UAE: Another Major Source The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is another very imperative source of natural gas for India. Almost 24.8% of India’s imported natural gas comes from the UAE. That’s about $5.08 billion (₹46,228 crore) worth of gas. So, the UAE is like another big gas station for India. Other Countries That Help Power India Besides Qatar and the UAE, India also buys natural gas from several other countries, though in smaller amounts: US: The United States (US) supplies 8.7% of India’s imported natural gas, worth $1.79 billion (₹16,289 crore)
Kuwait: This country provides 7.0% of India’s natural gas imports, which is about $1.43 billion (₹13,013 crore)
Saudi Arabia: India gets 6.7% of its imported natural gas from Saudi Arabia, totaling $1.37 billion (₹12,467 crore)
Angola: This African nation supplies 4.4% of India’s natural gas imports, worth $0.9 billion (₹8,190 crore)
Oman: Another Middle Eastern country, Oman, provides 3.8% of India’s imported natural gas, amounting to $0.79 billion (₹7,189 crore).
Nigeria: Nigeria contributes 3.9% of India’s natural gas imports, which is about $0.8 billion (₹7,280 crore)
Mozambique: This African country supplies a smaller amount, 1.4% of India’s natural gas imports, worth $0.29 billion (₹2,639 crore)
Australia: Australia provides the smallest portion, 0.9% of India’s natural gas imports, which is about $0.18 billion (₹1,638 crore) Benefits of importing gas from many countries: Energy Security: It helps India make sure it has enough energy to meet its needs. If something happens in one country, like a political problem or a natural disaster, India can still get gas from other countries.
Cost: The price of natural gas can change depending on where it comes from. By buying gas from different countries, India can try to get the best price.
Relationships: Buying gas from other countries helps India build good relationships with those countries. Current LPG price: The current price of a domestic LPG cylinder in Delhi is ₹913. For PMUY beneficiaries, the price remains ₹613 per cylinder. In total, India imported natural gas worth $20.5 billion (₹1.86 lakh crore) during the period from April to December 2025. A large portion of this came from Qatar and the UAE. This shows how important these countries are to India’s energy supply. Diversifying Energy Sources While Qatar and the UAE are major suppliers, India is also working to diversify its energy sources. This means buying gas from more countries and also exploring other types of energy, like renewable energy (solar, wind) and domestically produced natural gas. By diversifying, India is trying to make its energy supply more secure and stable.