According to new data released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), US crude oil production reached a record average of 13.6 mb/d in 2025, reinforcing the country's position as the world's leading crude oil producer (EIA press release, 09/07/2026).
“Crude oil production in the United States, including lease condensate, averaged a record-high 13.6 mb/d in 2025, breaking the previous US and global production record of 13.2 mb/d set in 2024”, said the administration.
On average, US crude oil production in 2025 was approximately 40% higher than that of the world's next two largest producers, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
- Saudi Arabia’s crude oil production, including lease condensate, increased from 9.2 mb/d in 2024 to 9.6 mb/d in 2025, reflecting modest growth following the gradual unwinding of voluntary production cuts by OPEC+.
- Meanwhile, Russia's crude oil production averaged 9.9 mb/d in 2024 and remained broadly stable in 2025, as voluntary production cuts combined with the impact of the conflict in Ukraine continued to constrain output growth.
According to the EIA, the increase in US crude oil production reflects “continued gains in drilling productivity and operational efficiency across key shale basins”, enabling operators to extract more oil from each well. Production continued to grow throughout 2025 despite lower oil prices.
The strongest growth was recorded in the Permian Basin, spanning Texas and New Mexico, where crude oil production increased by 4%, rising from 6.3 mb/d in 2024 to 6.6 mb/d in 2025. The Permian Basin represented approximately 48% of total US crude oil production in 2025.
In addition, the EIA forecasts that US crude oil production will remain close to 13.7 mb/d in 2026, before reaching 14.2 mb/d in 2027. Output growth is expected to occur alongside higher prices, with WTI forecast to increase by USD22/bbl to USD88/bbl in 2026. Alongside the rise in WTI prices, further improvements in shale well productivity are also expected to support production growth.
The top 10 global crude oil producers are completed by Canada (5 million b/d), China (4.3 million b/d), Iraq (3.9 million b/d), Brazil (3.8 million b/d), Iran (3.1 million b/d), the United Arab Emirates (3.1 million b/d), and Kuwait (2.6 million b/d).