The United States’ strategy for global LNG exports calls for further expansion in the coming years.
In the first quarter of 2026, the United States exported LNG with a customs value of $14.311 billion, a 25.7% year-over-year increase.
Unlike natural gas in its gaseous state (which is transported via pipelines), LNG is specifically classified by its modified physical state (liquid) achieved through freezing.
LNG Exports
In 2025, the United States ranked as the world’s largest exporter of Liquefied Natural Gas, with $44.6 billion.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (USCC), the U.S. LNG industry has established itself over the past decade as a fundamental and steadily growing pillar of the U.S. economy.
In 2025, LNG exports surpassed combined U.S. exports of corn and soybeans, as well as those of medical instruments and devices, and commercial vehicles.
According to the USCC, it is clear that LNG exports serve the national interest and global strategic interests, particularly for the United States’ European allies seeking to reduce their dependence on Russian gas.
For this reason, the USCC supports the policies of President Donald Trump’s administration that have driven the expansion of LNG exports and strengthened the United States’ global energy leadership.
The following table shows the main destinations for LNG exports in the first quarter of 2026, in millions of dollars, along with their year-over-year change:
- United Kingdom: 1,616 (+34.3 percent).
- Netherlands: 1,354 (-0.5 percent).
- Turkey: 1,214 (-11.6 percent).
- Egypt: 1,196 (+129.1 percent).
- Spain: 1,186 (+70.2 percent).
- France: 1,169 (-24.5 percent).
- Germany: 1,049 (+14.0 percent).
- Italy: 789 (+9.7 percent).
Contribution to GDP
A recent study conducted by S&P Global and supported by the Chamber of Commerce projects that LNG will contribute $1.3 trillion to the U.S. economy by 2040, creating nearly 500,000 new jobs and generating $166 billion in tax revenue.
At the same time, abundant and affordable U.S. natural gas helps maintain the competitiveness of the U.S. manufacturing industry by keeping production costs low.