The charts compare the percentage of the world’s oil resources in different regions with the percentage of oil consumed annually in those same areas.
Overall, the Middle East possesses by far the largest proportion of oil resources, while Asia, the United States and Western Europe consume the greatest amounts of oil. In many regions, the level of consumption is much higher than the amount of oil resources available there.
The Middle East accounts for 56.52% of the world’s oil reserves, but it consumes only 6.15% of global oil annually. Canada has the second largest share of oil resources at 14.84%, although its consumption is relatively low at 2.48%. Central and South America, Eastern Europe and Africa each hold between around 6% and 8% of world oil reserves, and their consumption figures are also moderate.
In contrast, Asia has only 2.89% of global oil resources, but it uses the highest proportion of oil, at 26.21%. Similarly, the United States possesses just 1.85% of oil reserves while consuming 25.48% annually. Western Europe shows the same pattern, with only 1.47% of resources compared with 19.24% of world consumption. Australia and New Zealand have the smallest figures in both categories.