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China is now the world’s largest oil importer – in one graph

China is leading the United States in... net oil imports!

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


Apparently the government shutdown didn't prevent the Energy Information Administration from releasing the latest Short-term Energy Outlook this week*. The big takeaway is that China has overtaken the United States as the world's largest net importer of oil. The gap between oil consumption and domestic production is practically a rounding error: 6.24 million barrels per day (bpd) in the United States and 6.3 million bpd in China. However, the multi-year trend is clear. Here's the chart:

A couple of observations on both sides of the Pacific. The American story is one of weaker demand coupled with huge production gains from tight oil plays in North Dakota, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Weaker demand can be attributed to many things, including a slow economy and fuel economy standards for cars and trucks.

As for China, consumption is far outstripping domestic production (10.7 million bpd to 4.5 million bpd), which highlights both a growing middle class and the difficulty China is having in taking advantage of its own shale resources.


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See here for a much more concise summary.

*Update: DOE hasn't completely shut down yet because most of its appropriations are multi-year.

David Wogan is an engineer and policy researcher who writes about energy, technology, and policy.

David's academic and professional background includes a unique blend of technology and policy in the field of energy systems. Most recently, David worked at Austin Energy, a Texas municipal utility, implementing a Department of Energy stimulus grant related to energy efficiency. Previously, David was a member of the Energy & Climate Change team at the White House Council on Environmental Quality for the Obama Administration.

David holds two Master's degrees from The University of Texas at Austin in Mechanical Engineering and Public Affairs. While at UT, David was a researcher in the Webber Energy Group, where his research focused on advanced biofuel production to offset petroleum use in the transportation sector. David holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, where he researched nuclear non-proliferation measurement technology.

David is a 2013 Aspen Institute Journalism Scholar, joining a select group of journalists from Slate, ABC News, and The New York Times.

David lives in Austin, Texas. Follow along on Twitter or email him at david.wogan@me.com.

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