Highest Oil-Producing Countries 2011

This entry is the total oil produced in barrels per day (bbl/day) as of January 1, 2011. The discrepancy between the amount of oil produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes, refinery gains, and other complicating factors.

#1. Russia

Barrels per day: 10,120,000

Russia produces 10.1 million barrels of oil per day. While they are the top producer of oil, they are ranked the #2 exporter below Saudi Arabia. Russia exports 5.4 million barrels per day.

#2. Saudi Arabia

Barrels per day: 9,764,000

Saudi Arabia produces 9.7 million barrels of oil every day.

#3. United States

Barrels per day: 9,056,000
The United States produces 9.05 million barrels of oil per day. Yet, the U.S. doesn’t make the list of the Top 20 exporters of oil. The U.S. is currently handling the ramifications of their massive BP oil spill off the Gulf Coast.

#4. Iran

Barrels per day: 4,172,000

Iran produces 4.1 million barrels of oil daily.

#5. China

Barrels per day: 3,991,000

China produces 3.9 million barrels of oil every day. They do not make the list of Top 20 oil exporters. The country experienced their largest reported oil spill last year after a pipeline exploded. Researchers suggest the ecological damage could last a decade.

#6. Canada

Barrels per day: 3,289,000
Canada produces 3.2 million barrels of oil per day. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently urged the U.S. to approve a controversial oil pipeline from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

#7. Mexico

Barrels per day: 3,001,000

Mexico produces 3 million barrels of oil per day while exporting 1.3 million barrels. A massive oil pipeline explosion in San Martin Texmelucan killed at least 28 people, including 13 children last year.

#8. United Arab Emirates

Barrels per day: 2,798,000

The United Arab Emirates produce 2.7 million barrels of oil each day, while exporting 2.0 million barrels. Meanwhile, reports show the UAE has focused some attention on investing in green energy, such as solar power.

#9. Brazil

Barrels per day: 2,572,000

Brazil produces 2.5 million barrels of oil daily, while exporting 505,000 barrels. The effects of Brazil’s oil spill in Guanabara Bay can still be seen ten years later.

#10. Kuwait

Barrels per day: 2,494,000

Kuwait produces 2.4 million barrels of oil per day. They export 1.4 million barrels daily, placing them 11th among oil exporting countries.

#11. Venezuela

Barrels per day: 2,472,000

Venezuela produces 2.4 million barrels of oil daily, while exporting 1.3 million barrels per day. Hugo Chavez has sparked controversy in the U.S., making a statement last summer that pending certain military actions, “we will not send a drop of oil to the United States, even if we have to eat rocks.”

#12. Iraq

Barrels per day: 2,399,000

Iraq produces 2.3 million barrels of oil each day, and exports 1.9 million barrels. Some reports suggest that Iraq will become increasingly important to meet the world’s demand for oil, especially in light of recent oil spills. Considered the birthplace for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Iraq struggled to boost production after years of war and sanctions.

#13. Norway

Barrels per day: 2,350,000

Norway produces 2.3 million barrels of oil daily. An Icelandic ship recently leaked oil into a Norwegian national park after running aground.

#14. Nigeria

Barrels per day: 2,211,000

Nigeria produces 2.2 million gallons of oil per day, placing them 12th among producers. But they are the 4th biggest exporter, exporting 2.1 million barrels each day. Much controversy has surrounded oil production in Nigeria. Most recently Royal Dutch Shell is on the defensive following a $100 million fine imposed by a Nigerian court for a 1970 oil spill. Also, past reports show that militants have attacked pipelines and kidnapped oil employees, cutting into Nigeria’s oil production. Last year, a military attack in Nigeria’s Oil Delta killed up to 150 people.

#15. Algeria

Barrels per day: 2,125,000

Algeria produces 2.1 million barrels of oil daily. In 2010, Algeria’s president fired the CEO and top managers of the state-owned oil firm Sonatrach following a corruption scandal.

#16. Angola

Barrels per day: 1,948,000

Angola produces 1.9 million barrels of oil daily, and export 1.8 million barrels, placing them at #7 on the world’s list of exporters.

#17. Libya

Barrels per day: 1,790,000
Libya produces 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, while exporting 1.2 million barrels daily. As violence in Libya currently escalates, the price of oil has skyrocketed.