Energy Transition

Where does America’s oil come from?

José Santiago

According to a recent poll, most Americans think the majority of the oil imported to their country comes from the Middle East.

oil1

Yet when taking into consideration all the countries that export oil to the country, it’s clear that most of the oil comes from North and South America.

oil2

Canada is the top exporter of oil to the US. In just the past six months, the nation has imported approximately 12.3 billion gallons of gasoline from their northern neighbour.

oil3

What most Americans are not aware of is that a whopping 60% of the oil they consume is produced within their own country.

oil4

The only time the US imported more oil than it produced was between 1997 and 2010. Currently, the country is well on its way to eliminating dependency on other countries for oil.

oil5

Have you read?
What is happening in the global oil market?
Oil price drop: four winners and four losers
Is US petroleum consumption declining?

Authors: This blog was originally written by Randal Olson, and has been updated by José Santiago, Senior Associate, Public Engagement, World Economic Forum

Image: The Irving Oil refinery is photographed at sunset on in Saint John, New Brunswick REUTERS/Devaan Ingraham

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

United States

Related topics:
Energy TransitionEconomic Growth
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how United States is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

Why we need to follow the soft energy path of greater efficiency

Jon Creyts

November 14, 2024

How China is advancing clean power policy to support decarbonization of its industrial sectors 

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum