Which country is the largest source of U.S. oil imports?
In 2024, the United States consumed about 20.31 million barrels of oil per day. Despite being the world’s largest oil producer, the United States imports oil from more than 80 countries to meet domestic demand and offset volume lost to exports. According to data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, in 2024, the United States imported 8.4 million barrels of oil per day, representing about 40% its total oil consumption that year. The United States gets most of its oil from Canada. In 2024, the United States imported 4.6 million barrels of oil per day from Canada, roughly 55% of total oil imports, making it the largest supplier by a wide margin. Following Canada is Mexico, with 626 thousand barrels per day, and Saudi Arabia with 336 thousand barrels per day, representing 7.4% and 3% of total oil imports, respectively.
Since 1973, there has been a notable shift in who the United States imports oil from. From 1973 to about 2008, the United States imported oil from several key partners, which include Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Mexico, and Canada, as well as from other OPEC members and non-OPEC oil-producing countries. From 1973 to 1975, Canada was the top supplier of oil to the United States, with imports representing between 13% to 21% of total oil imports. In subsequent years, the United States shifted to importing oil mostly from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and other OPEC nations. Saudi Arabia was the top source of oil imported to the United States every year between 1976 and 1991, followed by Venezuela. Over the next few years, the United States began to decrease its oil imports from Saudi Arabia, shifting a greater share of its oil imports to Venezuela, while Canada’s share remained stable. In 1993, oil imports from Venezuela surpassed those from Saudi Arabia for the first time. It would hold on to the top spot until it was displaced by Canada in 1999, a position Canada still holds today. While Canada has always been a key supplier, its share of total oil imports never exceeded 20% until 2009. That year, oil imports from Canada accounted for 21% of total oil imports, kick-starting a period of growth that more than doubled Canada’s share of total oil imports by 2024.
