Oil reserves in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Oil reserves was 25.38 million cubic meters in 2021. ▼ Falling
Oil reserves in Papua New Guinea, 1985–2021
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 25.38 million cubic meters for oil reserves in 2021.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 81.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil reserves in Papua New Guinea peaked at 63.59 million cubic meters in 1996 and was at its lowest, 7.95 million cubic meters, in 1985.
Papua New Guinea ranks 60th of 216 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.
Oil reserves in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 7.95 million cubic meters | — |
| 1986 | 7.95 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 10.33 million cubic meters | +30.0% |
| 1988 | 31.80 million cubic meters | +207.7% |
| 1989 | 31.80 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 31.80 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 31.80 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 31.80 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 54.06 million cubic meters | +70.0% |
| 1994 | 40.29 million cubic meters | -25.5% |
| 1995 | 36.41 million cubic meters | -9.6% |
| 1996 | 63.59 million cubic meters | +74.7% |
| 1997 | 43.72 million cubic meters | -31.2% |
| 1998 | 51.67 million cubic meters | +18.2% |
| 1999 | 52.94 million cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 52.94 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 57.20 million cubic meters | +8.0% |
| 2002 | 37.89 million cubic meters | -33.8% |
| 2003 | 38.16 million cubic meters | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 38.16 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 38.16 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 38.16 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 38.16 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 13.99 million cubic meters | -63.3% |
| 2009 | 13.99 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 13.99 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 13.99 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 28.94 million cubic meters | +106.8% |
| 2013 | 24.53 million cubic meters | -15.2% |
| 2014 | 29.56 million cubic meters | +20.5% |
| 2015 | 27.85 million cubic meters | -5.8% |
| 2016 | 28.66 million cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 25.35 million cubic meters | -11.6% |
| 2018 | 29.23 million cubic meters | +15.3% |
| 2019 | 27.25 million cubic meters | -6.7% |
| 2020 | 25.14 million cubic meters | -7.7% |
| 2021 | 25.38 million cubic meters | +0.9% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Oil reserves in Papua New Guinea 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 | +207.7% | 10.33 million cubic meters | 31.80 million cubic meters |
| 2012 | +106.8% | 13.99 million cubic meters | 28.94 million cubic meters |
| 1996 | +74.7% | 36.41 million cubic meters | 63.59 million cubic meters |
| 1993 | +70.0% | 31.80 million cubic meters | 54.06 million cubic meters |
| 2008 | -63.3% | 38.16 million cubic meters | 13.99 million cubic meters |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 17.97 million cubic meters | 7.95 million cubic meters | 31.80 million cubic meters | 5 |
| 1990s | 43.81 million cubic meters | 31.80 million cubic meters | 63.59 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.68 million cubic meters | 13.99 million cubic meters | 57.20 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.93 million cubic meters | 13.99 million cubic meters | 29.56 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.26 million cubic meters | 25.14 million cubic meters | 25.38 million cubic meters | 2 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 57 Belarus 31.48 million cubic meters compare
- 58 Bahrain 29.65 million cubic meters compare
- 59 Democratic Republic of Congo 28.62 million cubic meters compare
- 61 Albania 23.85 million cubic meters compare
- 61 Chile 23.85 million cubic meters compare
- 61 Niger 23.85 million cubic meters compare
- 61 Spain 23.85 million cubic meters compare
More energy & mining data for Papua New Guinea
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 9.69 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fuel imports 17.0% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is oil reserves in Papua New Guinea?
- Oil reserves in Papua New Guinea was 25.38 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 Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 63.59 million cubic meters in 1996.
- What is the lowest oil reserves recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.95 million cubic meters in 1985.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for oil reserves?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 60th out of 216 countries with data for 2021.
- Is oil reserves rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 81.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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 — 37 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.