Oil reserves in Iran
Iran: Oil reserves was 33.16 billion cubic meters in 2021. ▲ Rising
Oil reserves in Iran, 1980–2021
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
Iran recorded 33.16 billion cubic meters for oil reserves in 2021. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
The figure is up 34.1% on the previous year and up 52.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil reserves in Iran peaked at 33.16 billion cubic meters in 2021 and was at its lowest, 7.61 billion cubic meters, in 1986.
That places Iran 3rd 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 Iran, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 9.22 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 9.14 billion cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 9.06 billion cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 8.79 billion cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 1984 | 8.11 billion cubic meters | -7.8% |
| 1985 | 7.71 billion cubic meters | -4.9% |
| 1986 | 7.61 billion cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 1987 | 7.76 billion cubic meters | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 14.76 billion cubic meters | +90.3% |
| 1989 | 14.76 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 14.76 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 14.76 billion cubic meters | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 14.76 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 14.76 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 14.76 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 14.19 billion cubic meters | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 14.02 billion cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 14.79 billion cubic meters | +5.4% |
| 1998 | 14.79 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 14.26 billion cubic meters | -3.5% |
| 2000 | 14.26 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 14.26 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 14.26 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 14.26 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 20.00 billion cubic meters | +40.2% |
| 2005 | 20.00 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 21.06 billion cubic meters | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 21.67 billion cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 22.00 billion cubic meters | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 21.65 billion cubic meters | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 21.88 billion cubic meters | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 21.78 billion cubic meters | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 24.03 billion cubic meters | +10.3% |
| 2013 | 24.58 billion cubic meters | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 25.01 billion cubic meters | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 25.09 billion cubic meters | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 25.05 billion cubic meters | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 25.18 billion cubic meters | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 24.99 billion cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 24.74 billion cubic meters | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 24.74 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 33.16 billion cubic meters | +34.1% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 33.16 billion cubic meters is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.69 million cubic meters, 2422.5× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Iran's 33.16 billion cubic meters is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 397.47 million cubic meters, 83.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Oil reserves in Iran 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | +90.3% | 7.76 billion cubic meters | 14.76 billion cubic meters |
| 2004 | +40.2% | 14.26 billion cubic meters | 20.00 billion cubic meters |
| 2021 | +34.1% | 24.74 billion cubic meters | 33.16 billion cubic meters |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.69 billion cubic meters | 7.61 billion cubic meters | 14.76 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.59 billion cubic meters | 14.02 billion cubic meters | 14.79 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.34 billion cubic meters | 14.26 billion cubic meters | 22.00 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.23 billion cubic meters | 21.78 billion cubic meters | 25.18 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.95 billion cubic meters | 24.74 billion cubic meters | 33.16 billion cubic meters | 2 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More energy & mining data for Iran
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 0.5768 % 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 (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 2.0% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is oil reserves in Iran?
- Oil reserves in Iran was 33.16 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 Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 33.16 billion cubic meters in 2021.
- What is the lowest oil reserves recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.61 billion cubic meters in 1986.
- How does Iran rank for oil reserves?
- Iran ranks 3rd out of 216 countries with data for 2021.
- Is oil reserves rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran 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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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.