[en] Over a third of the world's supply of energy today comes from the developing countries, a percentage that is likely to increase to almost 43% by the year 2000. One of the major areas of growth is expected to be in natural gas, which may supply over 20% of the total world's energy by 2000. Though there are major gas reserves in the developing world, they are not being exploited optimally. Growth of the gas industry requires resolution of a number of issues--financial, technical, and institutional. International trade in gas has shown recent signs of recovery, but over 70% of the gas produced in the developing countries is expected to be consumed domestically. The development and management of this emerging gas sector in the domestic economies of the developing countries will be one of the major challenges of the future. These issues are discussed in some detail. The role of the World Bank in financing natural gas projects is also discussed. The World Bank Group comprises the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development Association (IBRD) and its affiliates, the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)