China (People’s Republic of) vs United States: Oil reserves
Oil reserves over time
- China (People’s Republic of)
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 7.49 billion cubic meters against 4.14 billion cubic meters in China (People’s Republic of), a difference of 3.35 billion cubic meters.
That makes United States's figure about 1.8 times China (People’s Republic of)'s.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 41 shared years of data; in 1980 it was United States ahead.
China (People’s Republic of) ranks 14th and United States ranks 11th of 212 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China (People’s Republic of) | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.13 billion cubic meters | 4.73 billion cubic meters | 1.60 billion cubic meters | United States |
| 1990s | 3.82 billion cubic meters | 3.93 billion cubic meters | 114.86 million cubic meters | United States |
| 2000s | 3.07 billion cubic meters | 3.64 billion cubic meters | 571.49 million cubic meters | United States |
| 2010s | 3.75 billion cubic meters | 5.50 billion cubic meters | 1.74 billion cubic meters | United States |
| 2020s | 4.16 billion cubic meters | 7.49 billion cubic meters | 3.33 billion cubic meters | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher oil reserves, China (People’s Republic of) or United States?
- United States, at 7.49 billion cubic meters against 4.14 billion cubic meters in China (People’s Republic of) as of 2020.
- What is the difference in oil reserves between China (People’s Republic of) and United States?
- 3.35 billion cubic meters, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China (People’s Republic of) and United States?
- 41 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2020.
- How do China (People’s Republic of) and United States rank globally for oil reserves?
- China (People’s Republic of) ranks 14th and United States ranks 11th of 212 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Oil reserves. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Proved reserves, measured in cubic meters, are generally those quantities that can be recovered in the future from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions, according to geological and engineering information. Includes crude oil and lease condensate.