Mapped: The Biggest Buyers of U.S. Oil

Mapped: The Biggest Buyers of U.S. Oil

U.S. oil exports reached countries across six continents in 2025, with no single destination accounting for an overwhelming share of the total.

The Netherlands and Mexico were the two largest buyers, each receiving more than one million barrels per day. Canada, South Korea, and Japan rounded out the top five.

The data for this map comes from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s exports by destination and includes both crude oil and petroleum products.

The Netherlands and Mexico Lead U.S. Oil Exports

The Netherlands ranked first among U.S. oil export destinations in 2025 at 1.15 million barrels per day, with Mexico close behind at 1.09 million.

The table below ranks U.S. oil export destinations in 2025 by average daily volume, measured in thousands of barrels per day:

Rank	Country	U.S. Oil Exports in 2025 (Thousand Barrels per Day)
1	Netherlands	1,147
2	Mexico	1,091
3	Canada	887
4	South Korea	705
5	Japan	677
6	China	651
7	India	606
8	Brazil	363
9	United Kingdom	339
10	Spain	261
11	Taiwan	225
12	France	194
13	Chile	189
14	Singapore	179
15	Ecuador	172
16	Peru	171
17	Thailand	164
18	Indonesia	156
19	Panama	133
20	Italy	132
21	Nigeria	132
22	Colombia	127
23	Guatemala	123
24	Dominican Republic	117
25	Sweden	117
26	Germany	116
27	Belgium	112
28	Morocco	104
29	Honduras	83
30	Norway	82
31	Egypt	76
32	Malaysia	65
33	Costa Rica	64
34	Türkiye	58
35	Bahamas	55
36	El Salvador	55
37	U.S. Virgin Islands	48
38	Vietnam	44
39	South Africa	43
40	Argentina	42
41	Trinidad and Tobago	41
42	Australia	40
43	Ireland	37
44	Kenya	35
45	Denmark	34
46	Finland	32
47	Jamaica	27
48	Nicaragua	26
49	Poland	26
50	Saint Lucia	25
51	Uruguay	23
52	Côte d’Ivoire	22
53	Portugal	20
54	Venezuela	18
55	Pakistan	14
56	Puerto Rico	14
57	Ghana	13
58	Greece	13
59	Curacao	12
60	Philippines	12
61	Paraguay	11
62	Bulgaria	9
63	Israel	9
64	Gibraltar	7
65	Latvia	7
66	Oman	6
67	Switzerland	6
68	Togo	6
69	United Arab Emirates	6
70	Belize	5
71	Senegal	5
72	Aruba	4
73	Haiti	4
74	Jordan	4
75	Lithuania	3
76	Maldives	3
77	Slovenia	3
78	Tunisia	3
79	Algeria	2
80	Antigua and Barbuda	2
81	Austria	2
82	Mozambique	2
83	New Zealand	2
84	Albania	1
85	Cayman Islands	1
86	Cyprus	1
87	Dominica	1
88	Guinea	1
89	Guyana	1
90	Kuwait	1
91	Lebanon	1
92	Malta	1
93	Namibia	1
94	Qatar	1
95	Romania	1
96	Saudi Arabia	1
97	Tanzania	1
98	Turks and Caicos Islands	1
99	British Virgin Islands	1

Canada ranked third at 887,000 barrels per day, followed by South Korea at 705,000 and Japan at 677,000.

Together, the top five markets received 4.51 million barrels per day, or about 42% of total U.S. oil exports.

Why the Netherlands Ranks First

The Netherlands’ position at the top of the ranking partly reflects Rotterdam’s role as a gateway to the wider European oil market.

Rotterdam is Europe’s largest port and a major hub for crude oil, petroleum products, storage, and refining. Oil unloaded there can be processed locally or moved onward by pipeline and barge to Germany and other parts of northwestern Europe.

As a result, oil recorded as exported to the Netherlands is not necessarily consumed there.

Europe’s shift away from Russian oil has also increased demand for alternative suppliers. After the European Union banned most seaborne Russian crude imports in late 2022, U.S. crude became an increasingly important replacement source for European refiners.

The Netherlands has remained one of the largest destinations for U.S. crude oil since then.

Mexico’s Oil Trade With the U.S. Works Differently

Mexico’s 1.09 million barrels per day reflects a different kind of energy relationship.

Mexico exports much of its own heavier crude oil to the United States while importing large volumes of refined petroleum products, including gasoline and diesel, from U.S. Gulf Coast refineries.

This two-way trade reflects differences in refinery capacity and configuration between the two countries. U.S. refineries process Mexican crude while supplying fuels that Mexico’s domestic refining system does not produce in sufficient quantities.

U.S. Oil Exports Reach Buyers Around the World

Unlike U.S. oil imports, which are heavily concentrated in Canada, exports are spread across a much wider range of markets.

Europe and Asia both feature prominently among the largest destinations. South Korea, Japan, China, and India all ranked among the top seven buyers in 2025, while the UK and Spain also appeared in the top 10.

That geographic spread reflects the U.S.’s growing role as a global supplier of both crude oil and refined petroleum products.

Much of the crude produced by U.S. shale fields is relatively light and sweet, making it attractive to overseas refiners. At the same time, the country’s large refining sector exports substantial volumes of gasoline, diesel, and other petroleum products.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about international oil trade, check out this graphic which breaks down Europe’s oil imports by country on Voronoi.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-the-biggest-buyers-of-u-s-oil/