Nigeria vs United States: Oil reserves
Oil reserves over time
- Nigeria
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 7.49 billion cubic meters against 5.87 billion cubic meters in Nigeria, a difference of 1.62 billion cubic meters.
That makes United States's figure about 1.3 times Nigeria's.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 41 shared years of data; in 1980 it was United States ahead.
Nigeria ranks 12th and United States ranks 11th of 212 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Nigeria averaged higher in 2 and United States in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.63 billion cubic meters | 4.73 billion cubic meters | 2.10 billion cubic meters | United States |
| 1990s | 2.87 billion cubic meters | 3.93 billion cubic meters | 1.06 billion cubic meters | United States |
| 2000s | 4.73 billion cubic meters | 3.64 billion cubic meters | 1.09 billion cubic meters | Nigeria |
| 2010s | 5.89 billion cubic meters | 5.50 billion cubic meters | 397.30 million cubic meters | Nigeria |
| 2020s | 5.88 billion cubic meters | 7.49 billion cubic meters | 1.61 billion cubic meters | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher oil reserves, Nigeria or United States?
- United States, at 7.49 billion cubic meters against 5.87 billion cubic meters in Nigeria as of 2020.
- What is the difference in oil reserves between Nigeria and United States?
- 1.62 billion cubic meters, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and United States?
- 41 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2020.
- How do Nigeria and United States rank globally for oil reserves?
- Nigeria ranks 12th and United States ranks 11th of 212 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) β 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.