Energy News Monitoring

Aenert news. Energy Market & Energy Statistics

Eurostat publishes statistics to crude oil and petroleum products in the EU, covering the period 1990 to 2023.

Crude oil production in the EU peaked in 2004 at 41.7 million tonnes (Mt). Since then, it has steadily declined, reaching a new record low of 15.5 Mt in 2023.

This continued downward trend follows the significant drop seen in 2020. In 2023, the top oil producers in the EU were Italy (4.2 Mt), Denmark (2.9 Mt), and Romania (2.9 Mt).

Norwegian crude oil production increased to 89.8 Mt in 2023, after hitting a record low of 70.0 Mt in 2019. In the years following its peak, production fluctuated significantly. Norway — one of the key European non-EU crude oil producers — had reached its highest production level in 2001, with 157.6 Mt.

Other European countries outside the EU, such as Turkey, Serbia, and Albania, also produce crude oil, but only on a relatively small scale. Norway is one of the key crude oil producers in the region. Its oil production peaked in 2001 at 157.6 million tonnes (Mt). In the years that followed, production fluctuated, reaching a record low of 70.0 Mt in 2019 before rising again to 89.8 Mt in 2023.

The sources of crude oil imports to the EU have changed significantly since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Imports of oil and petroleum products from Russia fell by 24.6 Mt in 2022 and by a further 74.1 Mt in 2023, representing a sharp drop of about 84%. This reduction was largely offset by increased imports from the United States (+18.9 Mt), Norway (+11.5 Mt), and Kazakhstan (+8.4 Mt). It is noteworthy that imports from Norway have been growing steadily in recent years.

In 2023, the EU imported a total of 471.5 Mt of crude oil, representing a 1.7% decrease compared to 2022, but a 5.6% increase compared to 2020. Despite this recovery, imports remained below pre-COVID-19 levels, with 507.2 Mt imported in 2019. The largest shares of crude oil imports in 2023 came from the United States (67.2 Mt), Norway (65.6 Mt), Kazakhstan (44.6 Mt), and Iraq (35.8 Mt).

The United States has become the top crude oil supplier to the EU, a significant shift given that its exports to the region were historically minimal. In recent years, imports from the U.S. have surged—rising by 33.6% in 2020, another 28.5% in 2022, and a further 39.1% in 2023, reaching a record high. Kazakhstan, which had also been steadily increasing its share, saw its crude oil exports to the EU grow by 21.9% in 2023.

In 2023, the EU’s petroleum production was led by Germany (89.5 million tonnes of oil equivalent, Mtoe), followed by Italy (72.0 Mtoe), Spain (62.6 Mtoe), and the Netherlands (62.4 Mtoe). That year, EU refineries produced a total of 537.4 Mtoe of petroleum products, marking a 1.3% decline compared to 2022. The main products were gas/diesel oil (214.4 Mtoe), motor gasoline (101.8 Mtoe), fuel oil (52.4 Mtoe), and naphtha (42.4 Mtoe).

In 2023, Germany was the largest consumer of oil and petroleum products in the EU, accounting for 19.6% of total final consumption. It was followed by France with 15.8%, Italy with 10.9%, and Spain with 10.6%. The figure below demonstrates the consumption of oil products by sector. Road transport was by far the largest consumer of petroleum products, accounting for 47.6% of total use – significantly higher than other sectors. In comparison, air transport consumed 8.8%, and water transport 8.4%.

By the Editorial Board                                                                                                                                                        Download PDF version