Who are the world’s biggest oil producers and consumers?
According to the CIA World Factbook , 40 countries have one billion barrels of oil reserves or more. The top ten are: Saudi Arabia 263 billion
Venezuela 211 billion Canada 175 billion Iran 137 billion Iraq 115 billion Kuwait 115 billion UAE 98 billion Russia 60 billion Libya 46 billion Nigeria 37 billion
The Factbook estimates that Uganda has reserves of just 1 billion barrels, putting it in 40th place as an oil reserve country.
Reserves are not the same as actual production. In 2010, Saudi Arabia was the world’s lead producer, pumping ten million barrels a day, followed by Russia, the United States and China. (The latter two countries rank 13th and 14th respectively in reserves, but are extracting these fast.) A full list of recent production is published by the US Energy Information Administration here.
The United States is by far the biggest oil consumer, using 19 million barrels a day, followed by China, which consumes 9 million barrels daily. The 27 countries of the European Union together consume 13.7 million barrels a day. Uganda currently consumes no more than 14 thousand barrels a day.
It is revealing to look at these figures in per capita terms. How much oil do these different parts of the world consume per citizen per year? The answer is:
US citizens: 22 barrels EU citizens: 10 barrels Chinese citizens: 2.5 barrels Ugandan citizens: Slightly over one tenth of a barrel
Basis of calculation:
USA : 19 million barrels per day x 365 divided by 312 million people
EU: 13.7 million barrels per day x 365 divided by 502 million people
China: 9 million barrels per day x 365 divided by 1,300 million people
Uganda: 0.014 million barrels per day x 365 divided by 33 million people