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Fact #359: February 14, 2005
The Petroleum Gap

Since 1989, the transportation sector alone has used more petroleum than the United States produces. The current projections indicate that by the year 2020, the transportation sector will consume twice as much petroleum as the United States produces.

Supporting Information

Transportation Petroleum Use by Mode and Domestic Petroleum Production, 1970–2025
(million barrels per day)

Year	Cars	Light Trucks	Heavy Trucks	Air	Water	Off- Highway	Rail	Pipeline	Total Transportation	U.S. Petroleum Production
1970	4.03	0.73	0.76	0.62	0.36	0.35	0.26	0.47	7.57	11.66
1971	4.24	0.80	0.79	0.62	0.33	0.34	0.27	0.48	7.86	11.54
1972	4.52	0.90	0.86	0.62	0.33	0.33	0.28	0.49	8.32	11.57
1973	4.65	0.99	0.95	0.65	0.39	0.34	0.29	0.47	8.74	11.43
1974	4.42	0.98	0.95	0.59	0.38	0.31	0.30	0.44	8.37	10.98
1975	4.40	1.13	1.01	0.60	0.40	0.32	0.27	0.40	8.51	10.51
1976	4.65	1.23	1.06	0.63	0.48	0.33	0.28	0.38	9.03	10.25
1977	4.70	1.32	1.17	0.65	0.57	0.32	0.28	0.37	9.38	10.44
1978	4.80	1.43	1.30	0.67	0.66	0.31	0.28	0.37	9.81	10.82
1979	4.56	1.44	1.34	0.70	0.77	0.32	0.29	0.41	9.83	10.71
1980	4.17	1.41	1.34	0.68	0.67	0.32	0.28	0.43	9.28	10.81
1981	4.12	1.40	1.36	0.69	0.78	0.31	0.27	0.43	9.34	10.74
1982	4.11	1.34	1.35	0.68	0.65	0.28	0.23	0.41	9.05	10.78
1983	4.17	1.41	1.38	0.69	0.60	0.28	0.23	0.35	9.10	10.79
1984	4.19	1.51	1.43	0.76	0.62	0.34	0.25	0.37	9.46	11.11
1985	4.23	1.61	1.44	0.79	0.62	0.35	0.24	0.36	9.64	11.19
1986	4.33	1.71	1.47	0.86	0.62	0.35	0.23	0.35	9.93	10.91
1987	4.34	1.80	1.52	0.90	0.63	0.36	0.24	0.37	10.15	10.65
1988	4.34	1.93	1.55	0.93	0.64	0.36	0.25	0.42	10.41	10.47
1989	4.37	1.96	1.59	0.94	0.66	0.34	0.25	0.42	10.54	9.88
1990	4.12	2.10	1.65	0.98	0.71	0.36	0.24	0.44	10.60	9.68
1991	3.80	2.26	1.69	0.92	0.75	0.37	0.23	0.41	10.42	9.88
1992	3.87	2.42	1.73	0.93	0.78	0.35	0.24	0.40	10.71	9.77
1993	3.96	2.53	1.78	0.94	0.71	0.30	0.24	0.42	10.88	9.60
1994	4.01	2.61	1.87	0.98	0.68	0.31	0.26	0.45	11.17	9.41
1995	4.02	2.69	1.95	1.01	0.72	0.32	0.27	0.46	11.43	9.40
1996	4.09	2.80	2.00	1.04	0.69	0.32	0.27	0.47	11.68	9.45
1997	4.13	2.91	2.02	1.09	0.62	0.34	0.27	0.49	11.86	9.46
1998	4.23	2.98	2.09	1.12	0.61	0.34	0.28	0.43	12.07	9.28
1999	4.33	3.12	2.29	1.17	0.68	0.32	0.29	0.43	12.62	8.99
2000	4.31	3.12	2.38	1.20	0.72	0.33	0.29	0.43	12.77	9.06
2001	4.34	3.16	2.37	1.14	0.53	0.35	0.29	0.42	12.58	8.84
2002	4.66	3.53	2.21	1.39	0.54	0.36	0.28	0.47	13.42	9.27
2003	4.58	3.71	2.25	1.33	0.53	0.36	0.28	0.45	13.48	9.09
2004	4.55	3.92	2.35	1.38	0.51	0.37	0.28	0.45	13.80	8.87
2005	4.52	4.12	2.44	1.42	0.51	0.38	0.29	0.46	14.14	9.06
2006	4.52	4.33	2.49	1.46	0.52	0.38	0.29	0.46	14.44	9.50
2007	4.54	4.52	2.56	1.52	0.52	0.39	0.30	0.46	14.80	9.61
2008	4.56	4.72	2.64	1.55	0.53	0.40	0.30	0.47	15.18	9.70
2009	4.58	4.92	2.72	1.60	0.53	0.42	0.31	0.48	15.55	9.80
2010	4.61	5.11	2.78	1.66	0.53	0.42	0.31	0.48	15.89	9.61
2011	4.62	5.29	2.84	1.71	0.54	0.43	0.31	0.49	16.21	9.51
2012	4.64	5.46	2.90	1.75	0.54	0.44	0.31	0.49	16.52	9.46
2013	4.65	5.63	2.95	1.79	0.54	0.45	0.31	0.49	16.80	9.37
2014	4.66	5.80	3.01	1.82	0.54	0.45	0.31	0.50	17.10	9.37
2015	4.68	5.97	3.05	1.85	0.55	0.45	0.32	0.50	17.37	9.27
2016	4.69	6.13	3.09	1.88	0.55	0.45	0.32	0.52	17.63	9.15
2017	4.70	6.30	3.14	1.91	0.55	0.46	0.32	0.55	17.93	9.17
2018	4.71	6.46	3.19	1.94	0.56	0.47	0.32	0.56	18.21	9.22
2019	4.72	6.61	3.24	1.97	0.56	0.48	0.33	0.56	18.47	9.22
2020	4.72	6.77	3.29	1.99	0.56	0.48	0.33	0.56	18.70	9.21
2021	4.75	6.92	3.33	2.01	0.56	0.48	0.33	0.56	18.93	9.07
2022	4.77	7.07	3.37	2.02	0.57	0.48	0.34	0.57	19.19	8.95
2023	4.80	7.23	3.43	2.04	0.57	0.49	0.34	0.57	19.46	8.89
2024	4.84	7.41	3.48	2.05	0.57	0.50	0.34	0.57	19.76	8.91
2025	4.87	7.58	3.53	2.06	0.58	0.50	0.35	0.58	20.03	8.82
Source: Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Outlook 2005, Early Release, December 2004 and the Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 24, ORNL-6973, December 2004.

 

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