The World’s Largest Oil Reserves by Country

Also known as “liquid gold,” oil is one of the most important commodities present throughout major industries in the world. Used for things such as heating systems in homes, running vehicles, and even electricity, global oil consumption stands at a whopping 97 million barrels every day! However, have you ever wondered where all this “liquid gold” comes from?

Formed over a process that spans millions of years, oil is a fossil fuel. Specifically, as organic matter such as plants and animals breaks down underground, they mix with sediments in the ground. Over many years, high temperatures and pressures mold these remains into both oil and gas. Thus, when large amounts of oil form in one location, they create “oil reserves”. Oil reserves are essentially estimated amounts of crude oil located in a particular area. Due to the immense value of oil along with its limited quantity, these oil reserves are highly valuable and important for any country.

Click Here To See: The 50 Countries With The Most Amount Of Crude Oil Reserves

Above is a map showing the location of the 10 countries with the largest oil reserves

1. Venezuela – 303.806 Billion Barrels

Venezuela oil and gas company. Image credit Alejandro Solo via Shutterstock

With more than 300 billion barrels of proven oil reserves in 2021, Venezuela holds the title of the largest oil reserves in the world! The majority of this oil is within the Orinoco Belt, which is at the southern end of the eastern Orinoco River Basin in the country. This belt is currently the largest deposit of petroleum in the world with estimates placing the capacity at more than 200 billion barrels!

When it comes to oil production, Venezuela sits much lower among other world leaders. This is because unlike many other countries on this list, Venezuelan crude oil is very heavy and requires large investments in technology, manpower, and refineries to extract. Moreover, while it used to be one of the largest exporters in the world, an oil crash in 2015, political unrest, and subsequent issues have limited Venezuela’s potential. Conditions reached lows in October 2017 when the country had its lowest oil output in 28 years. The local PDVSA debt continues to rise to almost 35 billion in 2021! Since 2020, Iran has been working with Venezuela to recover and maintain its refining facilities which seem to be improving the local oil industry.

2. Saudi Arabia – 258.600 Billion Barrels

The flag of Saudi Arabia and oil rigs. Image credit FOTOGRIN via Shutterstock

With oil first struck in Saudi Arabia in March 1938 at the Dammam oilfield, it is astonishing how fast the country has progressed with its oil industry. As of today, Saudia Arabia has the second-largest proven reserve of crude oil at 267.19 billion barrels. While this reserve is less than Venezuela by a decent margin, Saudia Arabia produces more than twice as much oil with an average production of over 9,000 barrels per day in 2021. This is due to the fact that most Venezuelan oil is “extra-heavy” making it costly to extract while Saudi Arabian oil is much more cost-efficient and profitable. Moreover, with the help of massive conglomerates such as Saudi Aramco which have been working on oil production in the region, Saudi Arabia is also the largest oil exporter which makes up a significant part of the country’s economy.

3. Iran – 208.600 Billion Barrels

Oil and gas refineries with the flag of Iran. Image credit Mohamad Reza Jamei via Shutterstock

With the five largest fields holding more than 80 billion barrels of total oil, Iran has the world’s third-largest oil reserve of 208.6 billion barrels. This is approximately 16% of global proven reserves which is an important part of the local economy. Specifically, Iran has been in the top ten producers and exporters of oil for many years and in 2021 alone, the country had a production rate of 2.5 million barrels per day. Moreover, Iran has plans set up to invest a whopping $500 billion into their oil sector by 2025 in hopes to ramp up the utilization of their immense reserves. As Iranian Oil encompasses more than 200 reservoirs and 102 fields out of which 78 fields are currently active. The increased investment can make Iran a top player in the global market.

The top reserves in the country and their approximate production per day are as follows:

Ahvaz Field – 945 thousand barrels

Gachsaran Field – 560 thousand barrels

Marun Field – 520 thousand barrels

Aghajari Field – 200 thousand barrels

Karanj Oil Field – 200 thousand barrels

One of Canada‘s most vital economic resources is petroleum. The vast oil reserves have placed Canada among the world’s leading producers as well as exporters of oil. More than 95% of these reserves are in the oil sands deposits in Alberta, a province that contains nearly all of Canada’s oil sands and much of its conventional oil reserves. Saskatchewan and Newfoundland also have substantial oil reserves and oil production plants.

The history of the country’s oil industry can be traced back to 1858 when James Williams dug the first oil well. The Canadian oil industry came to prominance in parallel with with that of the US. Canada exports vast quantities of its oil with one of its major export destinations being the US.

In terms of utilization of these reserves, Iraqi is quite high as the 5th largest oil producer with a production of more than 4 million barrels per day in 2021. This massive production, attained with just a portion of Iraq’s fields, leaves most of the reserves unexploited to this day. Even without major utilization, the country meets 94% of its energy requirements with oil exports accounting for most of its GDP. In addition to this, Iraq also has plans to increase its production significantly by 2025.