Abstract: Nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃) is a very powerful long-lived greenhouse gas (GHG), with a global warming potential on a 100-year timescale of ∼16,600. NF₃ is widely used in the manufacture of semiconductors, photovoltaic (PV) cells, and flat panel displays. Here we investigate global and regional NF₃ emission rates in East Asia, using atmospheric observations from five AGAGE background monitoring stations (Mace Head, Ireland Trinidad Head, California, Ragged Point, Barbados, Cape Grim, Tasmania, Cape Matatula, Samoa) and Gosan, South Korea combined with an inverse modeling approach based on the global 3-D atmospheric chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem). We find that global NF₃ emissions have grown from 1.73 0.13 Gg yr^-1 ( one standard deviation) in 2014 to 2.91 0.23 Gg yr^-1 in 2020, with an average annual increase of 8% yr^-1. This rise in global emission is mainly attributable to East Asia (South China, Northeast China, Japan, and South Korea), where emissions increased from 1.4 0.86 Gg yr^-1 to 1.49 Gg yr^-1. Due to increasing demand for electronic device manufacture, especially flat panel displays, NF₃ emissions are expected to increase further in the future.