Posted on 12/30/2025 4:50:40 PM PST by delta7
Oil Reserves by Country 2025
Interactive map
Venezuela Flag Venezuela 303.2B Saudi Arabia Flag Saudi Arabia 267.2B Iran Flag Iran 208.6B Iraq Flag Iraq 145B United Arab Emirates Flag United Arab Emirates 113B Kuwait Flag Kuwait 101.5B Russia Flag Russia 80B Libya Flag Libya 48.4B United States Flag United States 45B
The United States is the world’s foremost producer of oil, as well as the world’s largest consumer of oil, which makes it necessary for the U.S. to import additional oil from dozens of other oil-producing countries. Despite its world-leading oil production, the United States is only 9th in the world in terms of available oil reserves:
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Note: Oil reserves are not the same as oil production.
Have Trump put pressure to free Alberta.
We have 400 years coal.
I do not believe that Alberta’s reserves are so low. I think the criteria employed must not be including anticipated reserves that are not yet exploited. I also don’t believe that Venezuela has more oil than Saudi Arabia.
Once again, we have only drilled a few miles into the Earth. The world’s proven oil and natural gas increases when we drill.
When a business/energy/people friendly President supports abundant, inexpensive energy, Drill Baby Drill, the result is more. More energy. More less-expensive energy. All of this equals more freedom, which always drives the Left crazy. Free people, making free, individual choices is anathema to the Left.
Every other month there is another announcement of a major hydrocarbon discovery. Brazil announced the largest hydrocarbon discovery in 25 years.
Let’s see. If we have 45 billion barrels underground at 20 million barrels a day of consumption we can supply ourselves for 3000 days-that’s what-10 years? Soon 20 million barrels per day won’t be enough-think AI. Then what? Seems like all of the above is the answer.
I think that might be correct.
The issue...
Venezuela oil is the most costly to refine in the entire world.
High sulfur content, as I recall.
I grew up in south Florida.
In the 1950s and 1960s, we used to burn un-refined Venezuela oil to generate electricity!
“Proved” = easily recovered. There is likely much more oil reserves waiting to be found and “proved” in the USA, but only with a government that supports developing our petroleum resources.
Much of our oil, including some active wells, falls in the “recoverable” category. That is oil that is recoverable with current technology, vs “Proven” which is economically viable and certain to be produced now. The USA has the most Recoverable oil of any country on earth.
Exactly, there are likely vast stores of new U.S. oil reserves (especially offshore) everywhere. Just takes the will to go develop them.
Oil generates about 0.5% of our energy, mostly in peaking plants. It will not be used at all for AI, as that is a pretty constant load. You might be thinking of Natural Gas, but the US has enough Recoverable Natural Gas reserves to last almost 100 years. Obviously, more will be found, but our strategy should be to develop more long term sustainable resources, like Nuclear Power. Nuclear Power is the solution to our energy needs, staring us in the face. But the left doesn’t want solution, they want us dead.
The way it was explained to me is to ask how many days of ‘proven’ food reserves do I have? Oh, about a week. With a reliable supply chain and using current technology (read: a vehicle with gas in it), it would be foolish to pile up more (with my apologies to preppers).
All oil is not created equal. Venezuela is a thick tar, that needs a lot more work at the refinery than do the sweets and the intermediate.
you just figured this out?
Venezuela and Alberta are mostly heavy oil.
Items:
1. Coal does not grow food from the ground, nor carry it to shelves.
2) The world of reserves is and always has been nearly entirely opaque. They vary by price, by the definition of oil (yes, it does vary), and by label (meaning “oil” vs “crude” vs oil equivalent). It’s usually best not to obsess over reserves.
3) The planet’s radius is 4000ish miles. We only drill down about 30,000 feet, or 6 miles for oil. Why? Because the temperature rises and hydrocarbons stop being oil and start being gas.
4) Iraq and Iran still have laws on the books. If either declares a new amount of reserves, the other makes the same declaration. Regardless of exploration budget. Why? OPEC production quota depends on reserves. Yet another reason to not obsess over reserves numbers.
Isn’t Zeihan the guy who announced about 3 yrs ago that Russia’s oil flow pipelines were going to clog with wax because the flow rate would be in decline, freezing the pipes and flow thus become zero?
AI query: What was Russia’s oil production in 2025.
AI reply: Russia’s oil production has been about 10.36 million barrels/day through 2025, a slight increase from 2024 since late in 2025 OPEC+ restraints have loosened.
It should be humiliating for Zeihan to type in a blog. Or to quote him.
“1. Coal does not grow food from the ground, nor carry it to shelves.“
Weren’t they making gasoline or diesel from coal back during WWll?
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