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By Niccolo Conte | Design Christina Kostandi
Key Takeaways
- China imported 13.8 million barrels of oil per day in 2025, accounting for 18.1% of the world total and nearly twice the U.S. figure of 7.9 million.
- Asia-Pacific received half of the world’s oil imports, with China, India, South Korea, and Japan alone accounting for more than a third of the global total.
- Singapore and the Netherlands rank sixth and seventh despite their relatively small domestic markets, reflecting their roles as major refining and trading hubs.
The 2026 closure of the Strait of Hormuz put renewed focus on the countries most dependent on imported oil, with Asia accounting for half of global imports.
This graphic ranks the world’s largest oil importers by country in 2025, using data from the OPEC Annual Statistical Bulletin 2026, which counts crude oil, including lease condensate, together with refined petroleum products.
Figures represent gross imports rather than imports net of exports. As a result, refining hubs such as Singapore and the Netherlands rank highly because the totals include oil that is processed and later re-exported.
China Imports Nearly Twice as Much Oil as the United States
China imported 13.8 million barrels per day of crude oil and refined petroleum products in 2025, nearly twice the next highest country (U.S.) on the list. China’s crude imports alone reached a record 11.6 million barrels per day.
The table below shows the 25 largest oil-importing countries in 2025, plus the remaining imports in each region, along with each row’s share of the world total:
Even though the second-ranked United States exported 10.7 million barrels per day in 2025, many U.S. refineries were built for heavy crude. As a result, the country continues buying oil from abroad, with Canada supplying nearly 57% of imports, while lighter shale oil and surplus fuels are exported.
India rounds out the top three at 6.2 million barrels per day, followed by South Korea (3.8M) and Japan (3.3M). Together, the top five countries accounted for 46% of the world total.
Beyond the top five, Singapore (2.8M) and the Netherlands (2.7M) stand out as major refining and trading hubs that process and re-export a significant share of the oil they import.
Asia-Pacific Buys Half of the World’s Imported Oil
Asia-Pacific imported 38.2 million barrels of oil per day in 2025, accounting for 50.1% of the world total.
The region is particularly exposed to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz because Asian countries received 89.2% of the crude that transited Hormuz.
China alone took 37.7% of all oil flowing through the strait in 2025, while Japan and South Korea sourced 77% and 57% of their oil from the Middle East, leaving fewer alternatives when Gulf cargoes were disrupted.
The table below totals oil imports by region in 2025, along with each region’s share of the world total:
Europe’s quarter share is spread across many midsized buyers. Eleven European countries make the top 25, led by the Netherlands (2.7M) and Germany (2.3M).
Asia is not the only region affected by oil supply disruptions tied to conflict in the Middle East. Saudi Aramco told European buyers it would cut off crude exports in October following disruptions to its East-West pipeline, which was targeted by the Houthis.
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