By Ejekwu Chidiebere
Energy Window International (Media) – Shell has published its 2025 report on payments to governments across the globe, representing a “consolidated overview” of payments made to governments by the company and its subsidiary undertakings (Shell) for the year 2025, as required under the UK’s Reports on Payments to Governments Regulations 2014 (as amended in December 2015).
The report Shell said only covered its extractive activities and “payments equal to or above the £86,000 or equivalent materiality threshold”, resulting in payments made to governments in 26 countries where the company said it has maintained strong upstream operation, where also $12 billion was paid covering corporate income taxes, and $55 billion paid to cover government royalties and production taxes.
Shell said that its effective tax rate in 2025 was 39%.1 which also was almost double, according to the company, the 20.5% average of country “Effective Tax Rate”, quoting OECD data.
The publication also includes what Shell called “Climate and Energy Transition Lobbying Report 2025” which it said provided an update on its direct and indirect climate and energy transition-related advocacy in 2025. Shell said it has presence in more than 90 countries, that in 2025, it paid out a total sum of $17 billion in taxes and royalties to countries and governments.2025
