Oil Refinery Throughput โ - 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 growth, energy security, and India's ability to meet rising domestic demand while supporting petroleum product exports.
India recorded oil refinery throughput of 4.56 million barrels daily in 2015, increasing to 4.93 million barrels daily in 2016 and 5.01 million barrels daily in 2017. Throughput continued to rise to 5.15 million barrels daily in 2018 before easing slightly to 5.12 million barrels daily in 2019. In 2020, refinery throughput declined to 4.49 million barrels daily because of reduced fuel demand and operational disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Processing volumes recovered to 4.79 million barrels daily in 2021, increased to 5.08 million barrels daily in 2022, and reached 5.25 million barrels daily in 2023, the highest level during the review period, reflecting expanding refinery activity and strengthening downstream demand.
Overall, the dataset indicates a strong long-term growth trend in refinery throughput despite the temporary decline during 2020. The recovery highlights improving refinery utilization, expanding downstream infrastructure, and sustained growth in domestic and export-oriented petroleum product demand.
The dataset is valuable for evaluating India's refinery throughput trends, analyzing downstream industry performance, and assessing crude oil processing activity. It supports refinery utilization analysis, investment planning, energy security assessments, and policy evaluation while providing valuable insights for researchers, analysts, industry stakeholders, and policymakers studying refinery efficiency, infrastructure development, and the long-term competitiveness of India's petroleum refining industry.