- Oil Refinery Throughput refers to the actual volume of crude oil and other refinery feedstocks processed by petroleum refineries during a given period.
Global Oil Refinery Throughput was 82,988 Thousand Barrels Daily in 2023, up 1.6% on 2022. The Global Oil Refinery Throughput dataset from 2015 to 2023 provides a comprehensive overview of worldwide petroleum refining activity, highlighting annual crude oil processing volumes, refinery performance, and developments across the global downstream oil industry. Measured in million barrels daily, the dataset represents the actual volume of crude oil processed by refineries worldwide each day.
Global Oil Refinery Throughput moved from 80,071 Thousand Barrels Daily in 2015 to 82,988 Thousand Barrels Daily in 2023 (+3.6%), an average of +0.4% a year. The series high was 83,068 Thousand Barrels Daily in 2018 and the low 75,634 Thousand Barrels Daily in 2020.
The gap between the series high (2018) and low (2020) is 7,434 Thousand Barrels Daily. The sharpest single-year move was −8.6% in 2020.
Of the 44 countries in this dataset, U.S., China and Russia have the highest values in 2023 (15,963, 15,102, 5,668 Thousand Barrels Daily respectively).
Country ranking
Thousand Barrels Daily. Sort by any column, or search for a country.
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| Rank↕ | Country↕ | Share of top | Thousand Barrels Daily↕ | vs 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | U.S. | 15,963 | −0.1% | |
| 2 | China | 15,102 | +8.7% | |
| 3 | Russia | 5,668 | +2.4% | |
| 4 | India | 5,249 | +3.3% | |
| 5 | Saudi Arabia | 2,810 | −7% | |
| 6 | South Korea | 2,758 | −1.9% | |
| 7 | Japan | 2,545 | −5.5% | |
| 8 | Brazil | 1,987 | +2.7% | |
| 9 | Canada | 1,716 | +1.2% | |
| 10 | Germany | 1,598 | −11.3% | |
| 11 | Italy | 1,292 | −1.9% | |
| 12 | Spain | 1,243 | −2.4% | |
| 13 | Netherlands | 1,201 | +6.4% | |
| 14 | UAE | 1,064 | +8.2% | |
| 15 | Thailand | 1,054 | +3.2% | |
| 16 | Kuwait | 1,036 | +28.4% | |
| 17 | UK | 938 | −7.8% | |
| 18 | France | 913 | +10.1% | |
| 19 | Indonesia | 895 | +5.9% | |
| 20 | Singapore | 857 | −3.5% | |
| 21 | Taiwan | 807 | −1% | |
| 22 | Mexico | 792 | −2.9% | |
| 23 | Turkey | 726 | −1.4% | |
| 24 | Algeria | 650 | +0.2% | |
| 25 | Malaysia | 582 | −0.3% | |
| 26 | Egypt | 529 | −15.1% | |
| 27 | Argentina | 519 | +6.1% | |
| 28 | Kazakhstan | 463 | +1.3% | |
| 29 | Qatar | 409 | −1.4% | |
| 30 | Colombia | 398 | +2.6% | |
| 31 | Sweden | 352 | −4.6% | |
| 32 | Oman | 322 | +1.3% | |
| 33 | Belarus | 314 | +2.6% | |
| 34 | Vietnam | 287 | −19.4% | |
| 35 | Israel | 275 | 0% | |
| 36 | Australia | 248 | 0% | |
| 37 | South Africa | 199 | +1.5% | |
| 38 | Finland | 197 | +5.9% | |
| 39 | Chile | 183 | +5.2% | |
| 40 | Denmark | 150 | +3.4% | |
| 41 | Venezuela | 137 | −0.7% | |
| 42 | Azerbaijan | 126 | 0% | |
| 43 | Philippines | 92.00 | +5.7% | |
| 44 | Nigeria | 18.00 | +200% |
By region
Thousand Barrels Daily, 2023. Each bar is that region's total.
Full series
Complete annual series with year-on-year change. Values are reported in Thousand Barrels Daily.
Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.
| Year | Thousand Barrels Daily | Change vs prior year |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 82,988 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 81,680 | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 79,154 | +4.7% |
| 2020 Trough | 75,634 | −8.6% |
| 2019 | 82,790 | −0.3% |
| 2018Peak | 83,068 | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 82,056 | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 80,608 | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 80,071 | — |
Data definition
Oil Refinery Throughput — - Oil Refinery Throughput refers to the actual volume of crude oil and other refinery feedstocks processed by petroleum refineries during a given period. It is typically measured in thousand barrels per day (kb/d) and represents the operational output of the refining sector rather than its installed capacity. This indicator reflects the extent to which refinery infrastructure is utilized to convert crude oil into refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, kerosene, fuel oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and other petroleum products. Oil Refinery Throughput is widely used to assess refinery operations, downstream petroleum activity, fuel production levels, and the efficiency of refinery utilization.
The data includes the actual quantity of crude oil and eligible refinery feedstocks processed by petroleum refineries during the reporting period. It covers throughput from both public and privately operated refineries, including onshore and, where applicable, offshore refining facilities. The indicator reflects crude oil processed into refined petroleum products regardless of whether the crude oil is domestically produced or imported. It includes refinery operations across all major processing units involved in converting crude oil into finished petroleum products. Data is compiled from national energy authorities, refinery operators, and standardized international energy databases using internationally recognized reporting methodologies, enabling consistent comparison of refinery throughput across countries and over time.
The data excludes refinery nameplate capacity, crude oil production, crude oil reserves, oil consumption, imports and exports of refined petroleum products, and refinery utilization rates when reported separately. It does not include production from natural gas processing plants, biofuel refineries, synthetic fuel facilities, gas-to-liquids (GTL), or coal-to-liquids (CTL) plants unless specifically classified within refinery operations. The indicator also excludes petrochemical manufacturing processes that do not involve crude oil refining and does not directly measure refinery efficiency, product quality, profitability, or environmental performance. Minor variations may occur due to differences in national reporting standards, feedstock classifications, refinery accounting practices, and statistical estimation methodologies across countries.
Oil Refinery Throughput — - Oil Refinery Throughput refers to the actual volume of crude oil and other refinery feedstocks processed by petroleum refineries during a given period. It is typically measured in thousand barrels per day (kb/d) and represents the operational output of the refining sector rather than its installed capacity. This indicator reflects the extent to which refinery infrastructure is utilized to convert crude oil into refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, kerosene, fuel oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and other petroleum products. Oil Refinery Throughput is widely used to assess refinery operations, downstream petroleum activity, fuel production levels, and the efficiency of refinery utilization.
It serves as an important indicator of refinery utilization, fuel production, industrial efficiency, energy security, and the petroleum industry's ability to meet global demand for refined products.
Globally, oil refinery throughput totaled 80.07 million barrels daily in 2015, increasing to 80.61 million barrels daily in 2016, 82.06 million barrels daily in 2017, and 83.07 million barrels daily in 2018, the highest level before the pandemic. Throughput moderated slightly to 82.79 million barrels daily in 2019 before declining to 75.63 million barrels daily in 2020 because of reduced fuel demand, refinery shutdowns, and pandemic-related operational disruptions. Processing volumes recovered to 79.15 million barrels daily in 2021, increased to 81.68 million barrels daily in 2022, and reached 82.99 million barrels daily in 2023, reflecting stronger refinery utilization and downstream market conditions.
The United States, China, and India remained the leading contributors to global refinery throughput throughout the review period. In 2023, the United States processed 15.96 million barrels daily, followed by China at 15.10 million barrels daily, while India reached 5.25 million barrels daily, supported by continued refinery expansion and growing fuel demand.
The dataset is valuable for evaluating global refinery throughput trends, analyzing downstream industry performance, and assessing crude oil processing activity. It supports refinery utilization analysis, investment planning, energy security assessments, market evaluation, and policy development while providing valuable insights for researchers, analysts, industry stakeholders, and policymakers studying the long-term development and competitiveness of the global petroleum refining industry.
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Definition- Oil Refinery Throughput refers to the actual volume of crude oil and other refinery feedstocks processed by petroleum refineries during a given period. It is typically measured in thousand barrels per day (kb/d) and represents the operational output of the refining sector rather than its installed capacity. This indicator reflects the extent to which refinery infrastructure is utilized to convert crude oil into refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, kerosene, fuel oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and other petroleum products. Oil Refinery Throughput is widely used to assess refinery operations, downstream petroleum activity, fuel production levels, and the efficiency of refinery utilization.
Global Oil Refinery Throughput was 82,988 Thousand Barrels Daily in 2023, up 1.6% on 2022.
Global Oil Refinery Throughput moved from 80,071 Thousand Barrels Daily in 2015 to 82,988 Thousand Barrels Daily in 2023 (+3.6%), an average of +0.4% a year. The series high was 83,068 Thousand Barrels Daily in 2018 and the low 75,634 Thousand Barrels Daily in 2020.
The highest value was 83,068 Thousand Barrels Daily in 2018 and the lowest was 75,634 Thousand Barrels Daily in 2020.
Included: The data includes the actual quantity of crude oil and eligible refinery feedstocks processed by petroleum refineries during the reporting period. It covers throughput from both public and privately operated refineries, including onshore and, where applicable, offshore refining facilities. The indicator reflects crude oil processed into refined petroleum products regardless of whether the crude oil is domestically produced or imported. It includes refinery operations across all major processing units involved in converting crude oil into finished petroleum products. Data is compiled from national energy authorities, refinery operators, and standardized international energy databases using internationally recognized reporting methodologies, enabling consistent comparison of refinery throughput across countries and over time. Excluded: The data excludes refinery nameplate capacity, crude oil production, crude oil reserves, oil consumption, imports and exports of refined petroleum products, and refinery utilization rates when reported separately. It does not include production from natural gas processing plants, biofuel refineries, synthetic fuel facilities, gas-to-liquids (GTL), or coal-to-liquids (CTL) plants unless specifically classified within refinery operations. The indicator also excludes petrochemical manufacturing processes that do not involve crude oil refining and does not directly measure refinery efficiency, product quality, profitability, or environmental performance. Minor variations may occur due to differences in national reporting standards, feedstock classifications, refinery accounting practices, and statistical estimation methodologies across countries.
The series is sourced from energyinst.org (https://www.energyinst.org/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1542714/684_EI_Stat_Review_V16_DIGITAL.pdf). It covers 2015–2023 and is reported in Thousand Barrels Daily.
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