Saudi Arabia vs USSR: Oil reserves

Saudi Arabia
41.11 billion cubic meters
in 2021
USSR
9.06 billion cubic meters
in 1991
Saudi Arabia rank
2nd
USSR rank
9th

Oil reserves over time

  • Saudi Arabia
  • USSR
10.0B20.0B30.0B40.0B198020002021

How they compare

Saudi Arabia currently reports 41.11 billion cubic meters against 9.06 billion cubic meters in USSR, a difference of 32.05 billion cubic meters.

That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 4.5 times USSR's.

Across all 12 years both countries report, Saudi Arabia has been ahead every year.

Saudi Arabia ranks 2nd and USSR ranks 9th of 212 countries.

Saudi Arabia has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Saudi Arabia USSR Difference Ahead
1980s 26.89 billion cubic meters 9.85 billion cubic meters 17.04 billion cubic meters Saudi Arabia
1990s 41.14 billion cubic meters 9.17 billion cubic meters 31.97 billion cubic meters Saudi Arabia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher oil reserves, Saudi Arabia or USSR?
Saudi Arabia, at 41.11 billion cubic meters against 9.06 billion cubic meters in USSR as of 2021.
What is the difference in oil reserves between Saudi Arabia and USSR?
32.05 billion cubic meters, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Saudi Arabia and USSR?
12 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 1991.
How do Saudi Arabia and USSR rank globally for oil reserves?
Saudi Arabia ranks 2nd and USSR ranks 9th 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.

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Saudi Arabia vs USSR: Oil reserves. Statizoid, drawing on U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://energy.statizoid.com/compare/oil-proved-reserves/saudi-arabia/ussr/

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About this data

Indicator
Oil reserves
Unit
cubic meters
Source
U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
216 places, 8,283 data points, 1980–2021
Last refreshed

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.