Fact #297: December 8, 2003
Imported Crude Oil: Where Does It Come From?
In 2002, the United States imported more than 9.1 million barrels of crude oil per day. The graph below shows from which countries the crude oil came. The countries supplying the United States with crude oil have changed over time, evidenced by the 1973 data on the graph. Many of the countries that the United States currently buys crude oil from did not supply any oil in 1973, such as Mexico, Iraq, the United Kingdom, and Norway.
U.S. Crude Oil Imports by Country of Origin, 1973 and 2002
Supporting Information
| 1973 (thousand barrels per day) |
2002 (thousand barrels per day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 462 | 1,519 |
| Mexico | 1 | 1,500 |
| Canada | 1,001 | 1,445 |
| Venezuela | 344 | 1,201 |
| Nigeria | 448 | 589 |
| Iraq | 4 | 459 |
| United Kingdom | 0 | 405 |
| Norway | 0 | 348 |
| Angola | 49 | 321 |
| Columbia | 2 | 235 |
| Kuwait | 42 | 216 |
| Gabon | 0 | 143 |
| Ecuador | 47 | 100 |
| Russia | 0 | 85 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | 60 | 68 |
| Brazil | 0 | 58 |
| Australia | 0 | 51 |
| Indonesia | 200 | 50 |
| Algeria | 120 | 30 |
| China | 0 | 20 |
| United Arab Emirates | 71 | 10 |
| Qatar | 7 | 9 |
| Malaysia | 1 | 9 |
| Libya | 133 | 0 |
|
Source: Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review October 2003, Table 3.3. | ||