Oil reserves, per capita in China
China: Oil reserves, per capita was 2.93 cubic meters per person in 2021. ▼ Falling
Oil reserves, per capita in China, 1980–2021
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in cubic meters per person.
Analysis
In 2021, oil reserves, per capita in China stood at 2.93 cubic meters per person.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and up 21.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil reserves, per capita in China peaked at 3.36 cubic meters per person in 1990 and was at its lowest, 1.91 cubic meters per person, in 2009.
China ranks 50th of 201 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 42 years of available data.
Oil reserves, per capita in China, year by year
| Year | cubic meters per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 3.24 cubic meters per person | — |
| 1981 | 3.28 cubic meters per person | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 3.14 cubic meters per person | -4.4% |
| 1983 | 3.03 cubic meters per person | -3.5% |
| 1984 | 2.93 cubic meters per person | -3.3% |
| 1985 | 2.89 cubic meters per person | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 2.75 cubic meters per person | -5.0% |
| 1987 | 2.7 cubic meters per person | -1.7% |
| 1988 | 2.66 cubic meters per person | -1.6% |
| 1989 | 3.35 cubic meters per person | +26.0% |
| 1990 | 3.36 cubic meters per person | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 3.32 cubic meters per person | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 3.28 cubic meters per person | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 3.24 cubic meters per person | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 3.2 cubic meters per person | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 3.17 cubic meters per person | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 3.13 cubic meters per person | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 3.1 cubic meters per person | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 3.07 cubic meters per person | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 3.05 cubic meters per person | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 3.02 cubic meters per person | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 3 cubic meters per person | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 2.98 cubic meters per person | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 2.25 cubic meters per person | -24.4% |
| 2004 | 2.24 cubic meters per person | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 2.23 cubic meters per person | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 2.21 cubic meters per person | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 1.93 cubic meters per person | -12.8% |
| 2008 | 1.92 cubic meters per person | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 1.91 cubic meters per person | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 2.42 cubic meters per person | +26.6% |
| 2011 | 2.41 cubic meters per person | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 2.39 cubic meters per person | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 2.77 cubic meters per person | +15.8% |
| 2014 | 2.82 cubic meters per person | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 2.84 cubic meters per person | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 2.88 cubic meters per person | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 2.92 cubic meters per person | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 2.9 cubic meters per person | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 2.93 cubic meters per person | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 2.95 cubic meters per person | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 2.93 cubic meters per person | -0.6% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 2.93 cubic meters per person is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.7779 cubic meters per person, 3.8× the median. (55 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Oil reserves, per capita in China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +26.6% | 1.91 cubic meters per person | 2.42 cubic meters per person |
| 1989 | +26.0% | 2.66 cubic meters per person | 3.35 cubic meters per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.99 cubic meters per person | 2.66 cubic meters per person | 3.35 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.19 cubic meters per person | 3.05 cubic meters per person | 3.36 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.37 cubic meters per person | 1.91 cubic meters per person | 3.02 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.73 cubic meters per person | 2.39 cubic meters per person | 2.93 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.94 cubic meters per person | 2.93 cubic meters per person | 2.95 cubic meters per person | 2 |
Countries ranked near China
More energy & mining data for China
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- 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)
- Fuel imports 20.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is oil reserves, per capita in China?
- Oil reserves, per capita in China was 2.93 cubic meters per person in 2021, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest oil reserves, per capita recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 3.36 cubic meters per person in 1990.
- What is the lowest oil reserves, per capita recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.91 cubic meters per person in 2009.
- How does China rank for oil reserves, per capita?
- China ranks 50th out of 201 countries with data for 2021.
- Is oil reserves, per capita rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Oil reserves, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Oil reserves divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Oil reserves ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Oil reserves U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Oil reserves divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.