Energy 101 - Where Does It Come From?

The United States imported about 60% of the oil we consumed during 2006. About half of these imports came from the Western Hemisphere. Our dependence on foreign oil is expected to decline in the next two decades.

Although we are the third largest oil producer, most of the oil we use is imported.

Net Imports and Domestic Oil as Shares of U.S. Demand








About Half of U.S. Oil Imports Come from the Western Hemisphere
Some may be surprised to learn that almost 50% of U.S. crude oil and petroleum products imports came from the Western Hemisphere (North, South, and Central America and the Caribbean including U.S. territories) during 2006. We imported only 16% of our crude oil and petroleum products from the Persian Gulf countries of Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. During 2006, our five biggest suppliers of crude oil and petroleum products were:
Canada (17.2%)
Mexico (12.4%)
Saudi Arabia (10.7%)
Venezuela (10.4%)
Nigeria (8.1%)