American crude production reached 13.6 million barrels per day in 2025, widening the nation’s lead over Russia and Saudi Arabia as exports climbed and federal officials forecast additional growth through 2027.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
WASHINGTON — The United States remained the world’s leading crude oil producer in 2025, setting a new global output record while expanding its advantage over other major energy-producing nations.
American producers averaged 13.6 million barrels of crude oil per day last year, according to a July 9 statement from the Energy Information Administration. That surpassed the previous U.S. and global record of 13.2 million barrels per day established in 2024.
Russia ranked second at 9.9 million barrels per day, followed by Saudi Arabia at 9.6 million barrels and Canada at 5 million barrels.
The production gap between the United States and its closest competitors widened during 2025. Russian output remained largely unchanged from the prior year, while Saudi production increased modestly.
The United States first moved ahead of Russia to become the world’s largest crude producer in 2018 and has held the top position every year since.
The EIA attributed the sustained increase to greater productivity and efficiency in the nation’s principal shale regions.
“Continued gains in drilling productivity and operational efficiency across key shale basins” have enabled companies to recover more oil from each well, the agency said.
Shale development has made the United States not only the current global production leader “but the largest producer of crude oil ever,” according to the EIA.
The record production occurred even as domestic crude prices declined.
West Texas Intermediate, the primary benchmark for U.S. crude, averaged $77 per barrel in 2024 before falling to $65 per barrel in 2025. Despite the lower price environment, operators continued increasing overall output.
The EIA expects American production to remain near 13.7 million barrels per day in 2026 before rising to 14.2 million barrels per day in 2027.
Exports have grown alongside production.
U.S. crude oil exports averaged a record 5.6 million barrels per day in April, according to a separate EIA statement issued July 8. That level was 21 percent higher than the previous export record set in December 2023.
Shipments of finished petroleum products, including motor gasoline and jet fuel, also reached their highest level since December 2024.
The April 2026 export surge came as the U.S.–Iran war disrupted energy shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz, increasing international demand for American supplies.
Brent crude futures climbed above $126 per barrel during April before retreating. Prices ended Friday at approximately $76 per barrel.
The combination of record exports, rising domestic output and instability surrounding a major global shipping corridor strengthened the United States’ role as a critical supplier to international energy markets.
Federal Policies Seek Further Production Growth
The latest production figures follow a series of Trump administration actions intended to expand domestic oil and gas development.
In November 2025, the administration approved new offshore drilling leases near Alaska, Florida and California.
The federal government took another step in January by beginning the process of offering oil and gas leases in waters off California. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management requested information on potential lease areas that could be placed up for auction as early as next year.
The Interior Department also conducted an oil lease sale in March within the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska, marking the first such sale there since 2019.
The action drew criticism from the Sierra Club, which argued that expanded drilling would threaten sensitive Arctic lands and primarily benefit major oil companies.
“The Western Arctic is not just any landscape—it’s one of the last true wild places in the country, home to rare and threatened wildlife and cultures that have subsisted on the land for thousands of years,” Mike Scott, the Sierra Club’s oil and gas campaign manager, said in a March 18 statement.
“Drilling in the Arctic won’t solve our energy crisis, but it will cause irreversible damage to these pristine landscapes,” Scott continued. “Big Oil has been champing at the bit to get its hands on these lands, and Trump is making their wishes come true.”
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the lease sale as consistent with the original purpose of the petroleum reserve and the administration’s energy security objectives.
The reserve “was created to support our nation’s energy needs, and this successful sale demonstrates what’s possible when we align responsible development with that original purpose,” Burgum said.
“Revenues from these leases will help bolster local communities, create good-paying jobs, and ensure that Alaska continues to be a cornerstone of America’s domestic energy production.”
The Justice Department has also moved to eliminate restrictions imposed by the previous administration on oil and gas leasing within the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Alaska and the state’s industrial development and export authority had filed lawsuits challenging those limits.
On July 7, the Justice Department said the restrictions violated federal law and asked the court to dismiss the litigation as part of a settlement.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the earlier policies “improperly limited” Alaska’s energy potential through “unreasonable” regulations.
“This settlement supports the Trump administration’s commitment to secure American energy independence and our national security for generations to come,” Blanche said.
The administration’s lease approvals, Arctic development policies and efforts to remove prior restrictions are intended to sustain the production gains that have already placed the United States well ahead of every other crude-producing nation.
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