In-brief analysis
March 10, 2026
Annual U.S. crude oil exports in 2025 decreased 3% from 2024, the first annual decrease since 2021. Exports decreased to Europe and the Asia and Oceania region, the two top regional destinations for U.S. crude oil. Despite fewer crude oil exports, U.S. crude oil imports decreased by more. Overall, U.S. net imports of crude oil—total imports minus total exports—decreased from 2.5 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2024 to 2.2 million b/d in 2025.
Since the early 2010s, U.S. exports of crude oil have increased sharply, driven by increasing U.S. crude oil production, expanding domestic infrastructure, increasing global demand for light, low-sulfur crude oils, and the removal of crude oil export restrictions in 2015. In 2025, the United States exported 4.0 million b/d of crude oil, 85 times as much as in 2011, but slightly less than in 2023 and 2024. Exports declined last year despite a 3% increase in crude oil production to a record 13.6 million b/d. Whereas crude oil exports have generally increased with domestic production in recent years, in 2025, more crude oil production went to U.S. stock builds, particularly the Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR), and to domestic refineries.
The top regional destinations for U.S. crude oil exports since 2018 have been Europe as well as the Asia and Oceania region.
Europe became the top export destination in 2023 following the effects of the war in Ukraine and the inclusion of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil in Dated Brent; exports to Europe increased further in 2024. In 2025, U.S. crude oil exports to Europe decreased by 7%, likely because increased output from OPEC replaced volumes from the United States. U.S exports to the United Kingdom decreased more than to any other European country, with exports falling more than 100,000 b/d, or about 35%. Despite declining for the first time since 2021, U.S. crude oil exports to Europe remained above export volumes before the war in Ukraine.
U.S. crude oil exports also decreased to the Asia and Oceania region, especially Singapore and China. Compared with 2024, exports declined by 75% to Singapore and 89% to China. China was the second-largest destination for crude oil exports by volume in 2023, but U.S. exports of crude oil to China have decreased during the last two years.
Although overall crude oil exports to Europe decreased in 2025, the Netherlands imported about 80,000 b/d more U.S. crude oil than in 2024. Similarly, in Asia, India and Japan increased imports of crude oil from the United States by about 90,000 b/d and 80,000 b/d, respectively.
Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Petroleum Supply Monthly
Note: The figure includes countries in which net exports changed by more than 50,000 b/d from 2024 to 2025.
In addition, U.S. crude oil exports increased to Nigeria, from about 40,000 b/d in 2024 to about 110,000 b/d in 2025. In January 2024, the 650,000 b/d Dangote refinery in Nigeria began processing crude oil, and in the following month, Nigeria began importing crude oil from the United States. The refinery, which reached its designed capacity in February 2026, continued to import more crude oil from the United States as it increased refinery throughput.
Principal contributor: Jimmy Troderman
