U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Vehicle Technologies Office

Fact #563: March 23, 2009
OPEC Petroleum Imports

In the 1970's, the U.S. imported more petroleum from OPEC than from non-OPEC countries. The oil embargo in the early 1980's changed that. Though the amount of petroleum imports from OPEC has grown, the U.S. has imported more oil from non-OPEC countries each year since 1993. In fact, the amount of petroleum imported from OPEC in 2007 is slightly less than what was imported from OPEC thirty years ago (1977).

U.S. Petroleum Imports 1973-2007
Graph showing difference in oil imports to the U.S. from OPEC and non-OPEC countries from 1973 to the present. It also graphs the rise in U.S. imported oil from non-OPEC countries from 1993 to the present. For more detailed information, see the table below.

Supporting Information

U.S. Petroleum Imports, 1973-2007 (Million Barrels per Day)
Year Imports from
OPEC Countries		 Imports from
Non-OPEC Countries
1973 2.99 3.26
1974 3.26 2.86
1975 3.60 2.45
1976 5.07 2.25
1977 6.19 2.61
1978 5.75 2.61
1979 5.64 2.82
1980 4.30 2.61
1981 3.32 2.67
1982 3.32 2.97
1983 1.86 3.19
1984 2.05 3.39
1985 1.83 3.24
1986 2.84 3.39
1987 3.06 3.62
1988 3.52 3.88
1989 4.14 3.92
1990 4.30 3.72
1991 4.09 3.53
1992 4.09 3.80
1993 4.27 4.35
1994 4.25 4.75
1995 4.00 4.83
1996 4.21 5.27
1997 4.57 5.59
1998 4.91 5.80
1999 4.95 5.90
2000 5.20 6.26
2001 5.53 6.34
2002 4.61 6.93
2003 5.16 7.10
2004 5.70 7.44
2005 5.59 8.13
2006 5.52 8.19
2007 5.98 7.49

Source: Energy Information Administration, January 2009 Monthly Energy Review, Table 3.3c & d.

 

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