Why Does America Have An Unusual Oil Appetite: Searing And Frantic Data Insights

America’s relationship with oil is quite paradoxical to say the least. It pumps more crude at a rate at which all other countries pale in comparison to it, yet persistently imports heavy volumes and massive amounts of exports abroad. In 2024 the U.S. consumed about 19 million barrels per day, accounting for nearly 18.7% of the world total, a share bigger than the numbers of the next two biggest consumers, China and India. 

Concurrently, the U.S. remains positioned as a powerhouse of global production. Domestic output climbed to a groundbreaking level, with production averaging around 13.4 million barrels per day as per the recent reports by AFPM communications. The seismic shift is driven largely by shale and tight oil plays. This domestic boom has restructured global oil flows, from a net importer to a net exporter of petroleum products but it hasn’t eliminated imports altogether.  

A big part of the appetite comes down to refinery reality: U.S. refineries are tailored to handle a mix of light and heavy crude. Even though most U.S. oil is light, refineries need heavier grades that American shale doesn’t provide efficiently, which is why imports still matter. At the same time, U.S. oil consumption averaged 20.59 million barrels per day in 2025 the highest in 18 years sustained by high per-capita use, car-dependent suburbia, and policy support for larger, fuel-intensive vehicles. 

Despite record production, imports continue to persist simultaneously. A major portion of U.S. crude oil imports, an estimate of 61.7% came from Canada, with Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and other producers filling out the rest of the mix. Canada alone delivered around 4,072 thousand barrels per day while Mexico accounted for 7.1% of crude oil imports. 

While on the other hand, petroleum imports from other countries also play a pivotal role: South Korea accounted for 8% of total U.S. petroleum imports worth $4.71 billion, while the Netherlands supplied 7.2% valued at $4.23 billion, even as overall petroleum imports totaled $58.71 billion in 2024 and $11.90 billion in early 2025. This highlights America’s deep integration into global oil markets and the value of diversified crude sources. Yet the exports side is equally striking: in 2024 the U.S. shipped 3.9 billion barrels of oil to 146 countries, representing 55% of its domestic production.  

Meanwhile, EIA data accentuates how import dependence is mainly shaped and defined by geography and refinery requirements. In 2024, Canada accounted for 55% of all U.S. crude oil and petroleum product imports as opposed to OPEC countries and the rest of the world which stood at 15% and 30% respectively.  Taken together, total petroleum imports from OPEC and non-OPEC countries stood at approximately 3.07 billion barrels in 2024. This shift reinforces structural reliance despite rising domestic output. 

America’s oil paradox is less about scarcity and more about structure. Record production hasn’t erased imports because refinery needs, crude quality mismatches, and geography still matter. As long as those constraints persist, the U.S. will keep producing more oil than ever and importing it anyway.