The Permian Basin is on track to become the largest US natural gas-producing region by the end of the decade, making the world’s most productive oil shale field also the nation’s leader in gas output, according to Citigroup Inc. analysts.

The change would push the basin, which covers parts of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico, ahead of the Marcellus shale region. The Marcellus basin, which stretches across Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, has been the largest gas-producing basin since 2012, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration.

This shift underscores the Permian's growing importance in the US energy landscape, potentially reshaping regional production dynamics and market flows.