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 efficiency, energy security, and Kazakhstan's ability to meet domestic petroleum product demand.
Kazakhstan recorded oil refinery throughput of 342 thousand barrels daily in 2015, declining slightly to 339 thousand barrels daily in 2016 before increasing to 355 thousand barrels daily in 2017. Throughput continued to rise to 374 thousand barrels daily in 2018 and 392 thousand barrels daily in 2019. Refinery throughput declined modestly to 367 thousand barrels daily in 2020, recovered to 391 thousand barrels daily in 2021, increased significantly to 457 thousand barrels daily in 2022, and reached 463 thousand barrels daily in 2023, the highest level during the review period.
Overall, the dataset demonstrates a positive long-term trend in refinery throughput with moderate fluctuations throughout the review period. The strong recovery after 2020 reflects improving refinery utilization, operational efficiency, and growing downstream processing capability.
The dataset is valuable for evaluating Kazakhstan'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 utilization, and the long-term development of Kazakhstan's petroleum refining industry.