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 the country's ability to supply domestic petroleum product demand.
The Philippines recorded oil refinery throughput of 212 thousand barrels daily in 2015, increasing slightly to 216 thousand barrels daily in 2016 before declining to 211 thousand barrels daily in 2017. Throughput rose to 237 thousand barrels daily in 2018 before decreasing significantly to 180 thousand barrels daily in 2019. In 2020, refinery throughput dropped sharply to 106 thousand barrels daily because of reduced fuel demand, refinery shutdowns, and pandemic-related disruptions. Processing volumes declined further to 78 thousand barrels daily in 2021 before recovering modestly to 87 thousand barrels daily in 2022 and 92 thousand barrels daily in 2023, reflecting gradual improvements in downstream operations.
Overall, the dataset indicates a significant long-term decline in refinery throughput after 2018, followed by a modest recovery during the final years of the review period. The trend reflects refinery closures, changing market conditions, and evolving domestic fuel supply dynamics.
The dataset is valuable for evaluating the Philippines' 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 future development of the Philippines' petroleum refining industry.