Fact #298: December 15, 2003
OPEC and Persian Gulf Share of U.S. Imports
In 2002, the United States had net petroleum imports of 10,546 barrels per day. Forty-four percent of those imports came from the Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Though the U.S. dependence on foreign oil has not declined, U.S. dependence on OPEC petroleum has declined in recent years from what it was in the late 1970s and early 1990s. The share of petroleum imports from the Persian Gulf region was just over 20%.
Supporting Information
| Year | Share of U.S. Imported Petroleum Coming from OPEC | Share of U.S. Imported Petroleum Coming from the Persian Gulf Region | Net Oil Imports (thousand barrels per day) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 49.7% | 14.1% | 6,025 |
| 1974 | 55.7% | 17.6% | 5,892 |
| 1975 | 61.6% | 19.9% | 5,846 |
| 1976 | 71.5% | 26.0% | 7,090 |
| 1977 | 72.3% | 28.6% | 8,565 |
| 1978 | 71.9% | 27.7% | 8,002 |
| 1979 | 70.6% | 25.9% | 7,985 |
| 1980 | 67.6% | 23.9% | 6,365 |
| 1981 | 61.5% | 22.6% | 5,401 |
| 1982 | 49.9% | 16.2% | 4,298 |
| 1983 | 43.2% | 10.3% | 4,312 |
| 1984 | 43.5% | 10.7% | 4,715 |
| 1985 | 42.7% | 7.3% | 4,286 |
| 1986 | 52.2% | 16.8% | 5,439 |
| 1987 | 51.7% | 18.2% | 5,914 |
| 1988 | 53.4% | 23.4% | 6,587 |
| 1989 | 57.5% | 25.8% | 7,202 |
| 1990 | 60.0% | 27.5% | 7,161 |
| 1991 | 61.8% | 27.8% | 6,626 |
| 1992 | 59.0% | 25.6% | 6,938 |
| 1993 | 56.1% | 23.4% | 7,618 |
| 1994 | 52.7% | 21.5% | 8,054 |
| 1995 | 50.7% | 19.9% | 7,886 |
| 1996 | 49.6% | 18.9% | 8,498 |
| 1997 | 49.9% | 19.2% | 9,158 |
| 1998 | 50.2% | 21.9% | 9,764 |
| 1999 | 50.0% | 24.9% | 9,912 |
| 2000 | 49.9% | 23.9% | 10,419 |
| 2001 | 50.7% | 25.3% | 10,900 |
| 2002 | 43.7% | 21.5% | 10,546 |
|
Source: Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review October 2003, Table 1.7 | |||