U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Vehicle Technologies Office
Fact #375: June 6, 2005
Imported Crude Oil: Where Does It Come From?
In 2004, the United States imported more than 10 million barrels of crude oil per day. That amount has more than tripled since 1973 when crude oil imports were just over 3 million barrels. 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 2004 
Note: Crude oil only; imported refined oil products (approximately 2,861 thousand barrels per day) are omitted from these data.
Supporting Information
U.S. Crude Oil Imports by Country of Origin, 1973 and 2004 (thousand barrels per day)
| Country |
1973 |
2004 |
| Canada |
1,001 |
1,611 |
| Mexico |
1 |
1,597 |
| Saudi Arabia |
462 |
1,494 |
| Venezuela |
344 |
1,294 |
| Nigeria |
448 |
1,062 |
| Iraq |
4 |
651 |
| Angola |
49 |
306 |
| Kuwait |
42 |
241 |
| United Kingdom |
0 |
235 |
| Ecuador |
47 |
228 |
| Algeria |
120 |
214 |
| Russia |
0 |
150 |
| Norway |
0 |
146 |
| Gabon |
0 |
142 |
| Columbia |
2 |
138 |
| Brazil |
0 |
51 |
| Trinidad & Tobago |
60 |
49 |
| Indonesia |
200 |
34 |
| Australia |
0 |
21 |
| Libya |
133 |
18 |
| Malaysia |
1 |
18 |
| China |
0 |
14 |
| United Arab Emirates |
71 |
5 |
| Qatar |
7 |
4 |
| Other |
252 |
315 |
| TOTAL |
3,244 |
10,038 |
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Source: Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review, April 2005, Table 3.3 |
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