Oil reserves in United States
United States: Oil reserves was 7.49 billion cubic meters in 2020. ▲ Rising
Oil reserves in United States, 1980–2020
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
United States recorded 7.49 billion cubic meters for oil reserves in 2020. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 111.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil reserves in United States peaked at 7.49 billion cubic meters in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.27 billion cubic meters, in 2009.
That places United States 11th out of 216 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Oil reserves in United States, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 4.96 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 4.98 billion cubic meters | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 4.93 billion cubic meters | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 4.68 billion cubic meters | -5.0% |
| 1984 | 4.67 billion cubic meters | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 4.76 billion cubic meters | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 4.75 billion cubic meters | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 4.50 billion cubic meters | -5.2% |
| 1988 | 4.56 billion cubic meters | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 4.49 billion cubic meters | -1.5% |
| 1990 | 4.43 billion cubic meters | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 4.38 billion cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 4.12 billion cubic meters | -5.9% |
| 1993 | 3.97 billion cubic meters | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 3.84 billion cubic meters | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 3.75 billion cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 3.74 billion cubic meters | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 3.71 billion cubic meters | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 3.80 billion cubic meters | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 3.56 billion cubic meters | -6.4% |
| 2000 | 3.68 billion cubic meters | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 3.74 billion cubic meters | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 3.79 billion cubic meters | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 3.82 billion cubic meters | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 3.67 billion cubic meters | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 3.59 billion cubic meters | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 3.66 billion cubic meters | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 3.55 billion cubic meters | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 3.63 billion cubic meters | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 3.27 billion cubic meters | -9.9% |
| 2010 | 3.55 billion cubic meters | +8.6% |
| 2011 | 4.00 billion cubic meters | +12.8% |
| 2012 | 4.60 billion cubic meters | +15.0% |
| 2013 | 5.31 billion cubic meters | +15.4% |
| 2014 | 5.81 billion cubic meters | +9.3% |
| 2015 | 6.35 billion cubic meters | +9.3% |
| 2016 | 5.60 billion cubic meters | -11.8% |
| 2017 | 5.60 billion cubic meters | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 6.68 billion cubic meters | +19.2% |
| 2019 | 7.48 billion cubic meters | +12.1% |
| 2020 | 7.49 billion cubic meters | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.73 billion cubic meters | 4.49 billion cubic meters | 4.98 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.93 billion cubic meters | 3.56 billion cubic meters | 4.43 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.64 billion cubic meters | 3.27 billion cubic meters | 3.82 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.50 billion cubic meters | 3.55 billion cubic meters | 7.48 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.49 billion cubic meters | 7.49 billion cubic meters | 7.49 billion cubic meters | 1 |
Countries ranked near United States
More energy & mining data for United States
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 1.94 % 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 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 7.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is oil reserves in United States?
- Oil reserves in United States was 7.49 billion cubic meters in 2020, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest oil reserves recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 7.49 billion cubic meters in 2020.
- What is the lowest oil reserves recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.27 billion cubic meters in 2009.
- How does United States rank for oil reserves?
- United States ranks 11th out of 216 countries with data for 2020.
- Is oil reserves rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 111.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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.