Oil reserves in China
China: Oil reserves was 4.14 billion cubic meters in 2021. ▲ Rising
Oil reserves in China, 1980–2021
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
China recorded 4.14 billion cubic meters for oil reserves in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 27.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil reserves in China peaked at 4.16 billion cubic meters in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.54 billion cubic meters, in 2007.
That places China 14th out of 216 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Oil reserves in China, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 3.18 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 3.26 billion cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 3.16 billion cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 1983 | 3.10 billion cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 1984 | 3.04 billion cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 1985 | 3.04 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 2.93 billion cubic meters | -3.6% |
| 1987 | 2.93 billion cubic meters | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 2.93 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3.74 billion cubic meters | +28.0% |
| 1990 | 3.82 billion cubic meters | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 3.82 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 3.82 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3.82 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3.82 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3.82 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 3.82 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3.82 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 3.82 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3.82 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3.82 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3.82 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3.82 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 2.90 billion cubic meters | -24.0% |
| 2004 | 2.90 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 2.90 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 2.90 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 2.54 billion cubic meters | -12.3% |
| 2008 | 2.54 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2.54 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 3.24 billion cubic meters | +27.2% |
| 2011 | 3.24 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3.24 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3.77 billion cubic meters | +16.5% |
| 2014 | 3.88 billion cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 3.92 billion cubic meters | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 4.00 billion cubic meters | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 4.07 billion cubic meters | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 4.07 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 4.12 billion cubic meters | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 4.16 billion cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 4.14 billion cubic meters | -0.5% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 4.14 billion cubic meters is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.69 million cubic meters, 302.2× the median. (55 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.13 billion cubic meters | 2.93 billion cubic meters | 3.74 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.82 billion cubic meters | 3.82 billion cubic meters | 3.82 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.07 billion cubic meters | 2.54 billion cubic meters | 3.82 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.75 billion cubic meters | 3.24 billion cubic meters | 4.12 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.15 billion cubic meters | 4.14 billion cubic meters | 4.16 billion cubic meters | 2 |
Countries ranked near China
More energy & mining data for China
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 2.15 % 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 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 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 20.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is oil reserves in China?
- Oil reserves in China was 4.14 billion 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 4.16 billion cubic meters in 2020.
- What is the lowest oil reserves recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.54 billion cubic meters in 2007.
- How does China rank for oil reserves?
- China ranks 14th out of 216 countries with data for 2021.
- Is oil reserves rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China 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.
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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.