Oil reserves in USSR

USSR: Oil reserves was 9.06 billion cubic meters in 1991. ▼ Falling

Latest (1991)
9.06 billion cubic meters
Change on year
down 2.4%
World rank
9th
of 216 countries
All-time high
10.65 billion cubic meters
in 1980
All-time low
9.06 billion cubic meters
in 1991
Years of data
12
1980–1991

Oil reserves in USSR, 1980–1991

02.5B5.0B7.5B10.0B1980198519911980: 10.7B cubic meters1981: 10.0B cubic meters1982: 10.0B cubic meters1983: 10.0B cubic meters1984: 10.0B cubic meters1985: 10.0B cubic meters1986: 9.7B cubic meters1987: 9.4B cubic meters1988: 9.4B cubic meters1989: 9.3B cubic meters1990: 9.3B cubic meters1991: 9.1B cubic meters

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.

Analysis

In 1991, oil reserves in USSR stood at 9.06 billion cubic meters. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.

The figure is down 2.4% on the previous year and down 9.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, oil reserves in USSR peaked at 10.65 billion cubic meters in 1980 and was at its lowest, 9.06 billion cubic meters, in 1991.

USSR ranks 9th of 216 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.

Oil reserves in USSR, year by year

Annual values for Oil reserves in USSR, 1980 to 1991.
Year cubic meters Change
1980 10.65 billion cubic meters
1981 10.02 billion cubic meters -6.0%
1982 10.02 billion cubic meters +0.0%
1983 10.02 billion cubic meters +0.0%
1984 10.02 billion cubic meters +0.0%
1985 10.02 billion cubic meters +0.0%
1986 9.70 billion cubic meters -3.2%
1987 9.38 billion cubic meters -3.3%
1988 9.38 billion cubic meters +0.0%
1989 9.30 billion cubic meters -0.8%
1990 9.28 billion cubic meters -0.2%
1991 9.06 billion cubic meters -2.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 9.85 billion cubic meters 9.30 billion cubic meters 10.65 billion cubic meters 10
1990s 9.17 billion cubic meters 9.06 billion cubic meters 9.28 billion cubic meters 2

Countries ranked near USSR

  1. 6 Kuwait 16.14 billion cubic meters compare
  2. 7 United Arab Emirates 15.55 billion cubic meters compare
  3. 8 Russia 12.72 billion cubic meters
  4. 10 Libya 7.69 billion cubic meters compare
  5. 11 United States 7.49 billion cubic meters compare
  6. 12 Nigeria 5.87 billion cubic meters compare

See the full ranking of 216 places →

More energy & mining data for USSR

All data for USSR →

Frequently asked questions

What is oil reserves in USSR?
Oil reserves in USSR was 9.06 billion cubic meters in 1991, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest oil reserves recorded in USSR?
The highest recorded value was 10.65 billion cubic meters in 1980.
What is the lowest oil reserves recorded in USSR?
The lowest recorded value was 9.06 billion cubic meters in 1991.
How does USSR rank for oil reserves?
USSR ranks 9th out of 216 countries with data for 1991.
Is oil reserves rising or falling in USSR?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this USSR 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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Oil reserves in USSR. Statizoid, drawing on U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://energy.statizoid.com/stat/oil-proved-reserves/ussr/

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About this data

Indicator
Oil reserves
Unit
cubic meters
Source
U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
216 places, 8,283 data points, 1980–2021
Last refreshed

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.