where does us get their oil from
The US gets most of its oil from domestic production , with the rest coming mainly from a small group of neighboring and allied countries, led by Canada and Mexico.
Big picture: where US oil comes from
- The US is now a net exporter of oil and petroleum products overall, meaning it ships out slightly more than it brings in.
- Even so, it still imports millions of barrels per day for refinery needs and regional supply balance.
- In 2025, imports covered roughly 30–35% of total US oil consumption, down from about 60% in the mid‑2000s thanks to the shale boom.
Main foreign suppliers (2024 data)
Most imported oil comes from a handful of countries, especially Canada.
| Rank | Country | Role for US oil |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada | By far the largest supplier; about 60% of all US oil imports and roughly 1.7 billion barrels in 2024. | [1][3]
| 2 | Mexico | Second-largest source; about 7% of US imports and around 229 million barrels in 2024. | [3][1]
| 3 | Saudi Arabia | Major OPEC supplier; over 100 million barrels in 2024 and roughly 5% of US imports in recent data. | [1][3]
| 4 | Brazil & other Latin America | Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and others together make up a notable share of imports. | [9][3]
| 5 | Other OPEC (Iraq, Nigeria, etc.) | Additional barrels from Iraq, Nigeria, and others, together estimated around 8% of imports. | [3][1]
| 6 | Non‑OPEC others | Smaller volumes from places like the UK, Norway, South Korea, and India. | [1][3]
How much is imported vs. produced at home
- Recent data show US crude production around 13–14 million barrels per day, near record highs.
- Because production has grown so much, net US oil imports have fallen sharply, and in some weeks the US exports more crude and products than it imports.
- In 2025, the US exported about 3 million barrels per day more oil and petroleum products than it imported overall.
Why the US still imports oil
- Different refineries are built for different types of crude (heavy vs. light, sour vs. sweet), so the US still imports some grades while exporting others.
- Geography matters: Gulf Coast refineries may import from Latin America or the Middle East even while US crude is exported to Europe or Asia for price and quality reasons.
- Importing heavily from nearby allies like Canada and Mexico is also an energy‑security strategy, reducing reliance on more volatile regions.
In simple terms: the US mostly uses its own oil , tops up from Canada and Mexico , and then adds smaller amounts from Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Iraq, and a long tail of other countries.
Bottom line: When people ask “where does the US get their oil from,” the answer today is: mostly from inside the US , and for the import slice, mostly from Canada , Mexico , and a few other allies and OPEC countries.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.