Oil reserves in Australia
Australia: Oil reserves was 388.88 million cubic meters in 2021. ▲ Rising
Oil reserves in Australia, 1980–2021
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
In 2021, oil reserves in Australia stood at 388.88 million cubic meters.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 26.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil reserves in Australia peaked at 556.46 million cubic meters in 2002 and was at its lowest, 189.67 million cubic meters, in 2015.
That places Australia 36th out of 216 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Oil reserves in Australia, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 338.64 million cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 375.21 million cubic meters | +10.8% |
| 1982 | 271.71 million cubic meters | -27.6% |
| 1983 | 257.89 million cubic meters | -5.1% |
| 1984 | 252.15 million cubic meters | -2.2% |
| 1985 | 227.50 million cubic meters | -9.8% |
| 1986 | 230.37 million cubic meters | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 272.31 million cubic meters | +18.2% |
| 1988 | 269.00 million cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 266.00 million cubic meters | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 266.54 million cubic meters | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 249.00 million cubic meters | -6.6% |
| 1992 | 242.25 million cubic meters | -2.7% |
| 1993 | 281.07 million cubic meters | +16.0% |
| 1994 | 256.70 million cubic meters | -8.7% |
| 1995 | 256.72 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 248.03 million cubic meters | -3.4% |
| 1997 | 286.21 million cubic meters | +15.4% |
| 1998 | 286.21 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 460.27 million cubic meters | +60.8% |
| 2000 | 460.27 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 460.27 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 556.46 million cubic meters | +20.9% |
| 2003 | 556.46 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 556.46 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 237.05 million cubic meters | -57.4% |
| 2006 | 228.47 million cubic meters | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 253.07 million cubic meters | +10.8% |
| 2008 | 238.48 million cubic meters | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 238.48 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 527.52 million cubic meters | +121.2% |
| 2011 | 527.52 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 226.66 million cubic meters | -57.0% |
| 2013 | 227.87 million cubic meters | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 227.87 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 189.67 million cubic meters | -16.8% |
| 2016 | 189.67 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 289.52 million cubic meters | +52.6% |
| 2018 | 388.88 million cubic meters | +34.3% |
| 2019 | 388.88 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 388.88 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 388.88 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Oil reserves in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +121.2% | 238.48 million cubic meters | 527.52 million cubic meters |
| 1999 | +60.8% | 286.21 million cubic meters | 460.27 million cubic meters |
| 2005 | -57.4% | 556.46 million cubic meters | 237.05 million cubic meters |
| 2012 | -57.0% | 527.52 million cubic meters | 226.66 million cubic meters |
| 2017 | +52.6% | 189.67 million cubic meters | 289.52 million cubic meters |
| 2018 | +34.3% | 289.52 million cubic meters | 388.88 million cubic meters |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 276.08 million cubic meters | 227.50 million cubic meters | 375.21 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 283.30 million cubic meters | 242.25 million cubic meters | 460.27 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 378.55 million cubic meters | 228.47 million cubic meters | 556.46 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 318.41 million cubic meters | 189.67 million cubic meters | 527.52 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 388.88 million cubic meters | 388.88 million cubic meters | 388.88 million cubic meters | 2 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More energy & mining data for Australia
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -0.4235 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 11.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is oil reserves in Australia?
- Oil reserves in Australia was 388.88 million cubic meters in 2021, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest oil reserves recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 556.46 million cubic meters in 2002.
- What is the lowest oil reserves recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 189.67 million cubic meters in 2015.
- How does Australia rank for oil reserves?
- Australia ranks 36th out of 216 countries with data for 2021.
- Is oil reserves rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Oil reserves. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.