Natural gas is a type of fossil fuel that is found beneath the surface of the Earth. In this state, companies can tap into the ground and drill for it. In other cases, it can be produced using wells in a process called fracking. After production, it's processed for sale. Consumers can then use it to heat their homes, cook food, dry their clothes, and fuel their cars.

Most of the world's biggest producers of natural gas are global energy giants with worldwide oil and gas operations spanning the full range of upstream and downstream activities. When production is viewed by country, the U.S. is the top producer of natural gas, followed by Russia. Here's a look at the top producers of natural gas by market capitalization. All data are current as of late July 2024.

1. Saudi Arabian Oil Company

Saudi Arabian Oil Company, commonly called Aramco, is the national oil company of Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1933, is based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and engages in the exploration, production, transportation, and sale of crude oil and natural gas. The Saudi Arabian government owns about 98% of the company. The rest is owned by investors, who trade the shares on the Saudi Stock Exchange. It has a market cap of $1.8 trillion.

澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:2. Exxon Mobil

Exxon Mobil trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in the U.S. and is based in Irving, Texas. The company was founded in 1882, when it was incorporated in New Jersey. Its primary business is the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas, as well as the manufacturing, trade, transportation, and sale of crude oil, natural gas, petroleum products, and petrochemicals. It has a market cap of $526.8 billion.

澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:3. Chevron Corporation

Chevron, an American integrated energy giant, operates major natural gas fields worldwide. Chevron also maintains vast upstream oil operations and downstream activities in petrochemicals, lubricants, additives, and gasoline. It has a market cap of $290.34 billion.

4. Reliance Industries

Reliance Industries is an Indian conglomerate. Other than natural gas, the group also specializes in oil refining, petrochemicals, retail, digital services, media and entertainment, and textiles. Reliance's gas operations took a big turn in the early 2000s when it discovered gas reserves in the Krishna Godavari basin. In recent annual reports, the company has said it's responsible for a fifth of India's natural gas production. The company has a market cap of $240.9 billion.

5. PetroChina

China National Petroleum is China's largest natural gas producer. It also has vast oil and petrochemical production and oil and gas marketing operations. While China National Petroleum is a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:state-owned enterprise, much of its operations are organized under a publicly listed subsidiary, PetroChina Company, which has a market cap of $232.9 billion.

澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:6. Shell plc

Shell explores, produces, refines, and markets oil, natural gas, and related chemicals. It operates across the globe and was created in April 1907 through the amalgamation of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company of the Netherlands and the Shell Transport and Trading Company Limited of the United Kingdom. Shell moved its headquarters from the Netherlands to the U.K. in 2021, and its shares trade on the London Stock Exchange. It has a market cap of $222.7 billion.

澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:7. TotalEnergies

TotalEnergies is a French 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:oil and natural gas company. It explores and produces crude oil, natural gas, and low-carbon electricity, refines and produces petrochemical products, and owns and operates gas stations throughout Europe, the U.S., and Africa. It has a market cap of $158.0 billion.

澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:8. ConocoPhillips

ConocoPhillips explores, produces, transports, and markets crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids, liquefied natural gas, and bitumen internationally. It's based in Texas, operates in 13 countries, and its shares trade on the NYSE. It has a market cap of $129.3 billion.

9. China National Offshore Oil Corporation

China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) focuses on oil and gas 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:exploration and production in over 20 countries. It also specializes in refining, power generation, retail marketing, and engineering. CNOOC is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The company has a market cap of $124.8 billion.

10. Sinopec

Based in Beijing, Sinopec, or China Petroleum & Chemical, is focused on oil and natural gas exploration and production, storage, and delivery. Sinopec is one of the world's largest natural gas producers, one of the world's largest refining companies, and a significant producer of industrial chemicals. The company's stock trades on the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges. It has a market cap of $104.9 billion.

The Bottom Line

The largest natural gas companies are among some of the biggest companies in the world. Providing energy is big business, resulting in hundreds of billions of dollars in annual revenues. These companies don't just extract and provide natural gas, they also specialize in various other power sources.

Topping the list based on market cap, by a significant margin, is Saudi Aramco. Most of the others on the list are based in China and the U.S.