
Russia is a major player in the global energy market, with significant exports of oil, gas, and petroleum products. In 2021, Russia exported an estimated 4.7 million barrels of crude oil per day to countries around the world, with China being the largest importer. Russia is also the world's largest exporter of natural gas, accounting for about 45% of the European Union's gas imports in 2021. Russia's energy exports include naphtha, vacuum gas oil, gas oil, and fuel oil, with European nations taking about two-thirds of its oil exports. Russia's energy strategy has prioritized self-sufficiency in gasoline, so it tends to export minimal volumes, but it is a major exporter of diesel, exporting roughly half of its annual production.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| World's largest exporter of gas | 45% of the European Union's imports in 2021 |
| World's largest exporter of oil and petroleum products | 20% of US imports of petroleum products |
| Largest reserves of natural gas | 48,938 bcm |
| Largest exporter of natural gas | 199,928 mcm in 2020 |
| Top exporter of natural gas | $24.5bn in 2019 |
| Oil and gas production in 2021 | 45% of Russia's federal budget |
| Crude oil production in 2022 | 10 million barrels a day |
| Crude and condensate output in 2021 | 10.5 million barrels per day |
| Crude oil exports in 2021 | 4.7 million barrels per day |
| Crude oil imports by China in 2021 | 1.6 million barrels per day |
| Crude oil exports to Europe in 2021 | 2.4 million barrels per day |
| Gas exports to Europe in 2021 | 380 million cubic metres per day via pipeline |
| Gas exports to Europe in 2021 | 140 bcm for the year |
| Gas exports to Europe in 2021 | 15 bcm delivered in LNG form |
| Gas exports to Europe | 45% of the EU's gas imports and 40% of its total consumption |
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What You'll Learn

Russia is the world's largest exporter of gas
Russia has the largest reserves of natural gas, followed by Iran and Qatar. In 2020, Russia exported 199,928 mcm of gas, while the United States exported 149,538 mcm, and Qatar exported 143,700 mcm. Russia's gas exports are sent to a variety of countries, with Italy purchasing about one-quarter (24%) of Russia's total natural gas exports in 2019, worth $5.8 billion. This accounted for 39% of Italy's natural gas imports. At least 37 countries directly imported Russian gas in 2019, with Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway and Serbia importing about 99% of their natural gas from Russia.
Russia is also one of the world's largest exporters of petroleum products, including naphtha, vacuum gas oil, gas oil, and fuel oil. In January 2022, Russia's total production was 11.3 billion barrels per day, with 10 million barrels per day of crude oil, according to the IEA. Russia is the world's second-largest crude oil exporter after Saudi Arabia. In 2021, China was the biggest single buyer of Russian oil and oil products, importing 1.6 million barrels per day.
Russia's role as a major exporter of gas and petroleum products has had a significant impact on the global market. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United States, the European Union, and other nations imposed sanctions on Russia, including banning or reducing the importation of gas, oil, and associated products. These sanctions have resulted in surging oil and gas prices globally and have highlighted the need for a transition to clean and sustainable energy sources.
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Russia's petroleum products
Russia is one of the world's largest exporters of petroleum products and has the sixth-largest oil reserves globally. In 2009, Russia produced 12% of the world's oil and held a similar share of global oil exports. In December 2015, Russia produced an average of 10.83 million barrels (1,722,000 m3) of oil per day.
Russian exports consist of more than 5 Mbbl/d (790,000 m3/d) of oil and nearly 2 Mbbl/d (320,000 m3/d) of refined products, with the bulk of its exports going to the European market. In 2021, Russian crude and condensate output reached 10.5 million barrels per day (bpd), making up 14% of the world's total supply. That year, China was the largest importer of Russian crude (1.6 million bpd), while Russia exported a significant volume to Europe (2.4 million bpd).
Russia's petroleum product exports include naphtha, vacuum gas oil, gas oil, and fuel oil. In January 2022, Russia's output was 11.3 billion barrels per day, with crude oil accounting for 10 million barrels per day. Refined oil products accounted for 960,000 barrels, and liquid natural gas accounted for 340,000 barrels per day.
In 2021, Russian refineries processed 5.6 million bpd of crude and exported 2.8 million bpd of oil products. Europe remains a significant market for Russian oil products, with Russia exporting 750,000 bpd of diesel to Europe in 2021, meeting 10% of the demand.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to Western countries imposing sanctions on Russia by restricting imports of its fossil fuels. The United States banned oil imports from Russia, while members of the European Union prohibited seaborne oil shipments. In response, Russia shifted its exports to non-sanctioning countries like China and India. Despite the sanctions, Russian oil exports continued to rise, providing stability to the world market.
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Russia's crude oil exports
Russia is one of the world's largest exporters of petroleum products, including crude oil. In January 2022, Russia produced 11.3 billion barrels a day, of which 10 million were crude oil. In December 2021, Russia's oil exports were 7.8 million barrels a day, with two-thirds of that being crude oil and condensate.
Russia is the world's second-largest crude oil exporter after Saudi Arabia. It has the sixth-largest oil reserves globally and was the fourth-largest energy user in 2009. In 2009, Russia produced 12% of the world's oil and had a similar share of global oil exports. In December 2015, Russia produced an average of 10.83 million barrels of oil per day, with most of it going to the European market.
Russia's energy strategy aims to maximise the use of domestic energy sources and reduce the country's energy intensity by 56% by 2030. Russia's crude oil exports go primarily to Europe and China. In 2021, China was the biggest single buyer of Russian oil and oil products, importing 1.6 million barrels a day. European nations take about two-thirds of Russia's oil exports.
Crude oil is pumped from wells on land or offshore platforms and transported by pipelines or tankers to refineries. It is then turned into useful oil products, mainly fuels and industrial chemicals. Most crude oil is refined into oil products such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and heavy fuel oil. These are used to fuel automobiles, airplanes, ships, machinery, and sometimes to heat buildings.
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Russia's natural gas exports
Russia is the world's largest exporter of natural gas, with the largest proven reserves. In 2021, Russia exported about 45% of the European Union's gas imports, which totalled about 140 billion cubic metres (bcm) for the year. This included an additional 15 bcm delivered in liquified natural gas (LNG) form.
In 2023, Russia's natural gas exports were estimated to have dropped by 42% since 2021, the year before the country invaded Ukraine. This decline was largely due to the reduction in pipeline gas supplies to Europe, which amounted to -120 bcm. In 2023, Russia exported an estimated total of 142 bcm of gas, a sharp decrease from 244 bcm in 2021. This included about 99 bcm of pipeline gas exported to Europe, FSU countries, and China, and around 44 bcm of LNG exported globally. Exports to Europe (including Turkey) still account for slightly under half of Russian gas exports.
In December 2023, Russia's natural gas exports were reported to have increased to 175,745.100 cubic metres (mn), up from 169,940.000 cubic metres (mn) in December 2022.
Russia's petroleum or oil industry is one of the largest in the world. The country is described as a significant supplier of crude oil to Belarus, Bulgaria, and Romania, and of petroleum products to most former Soviet Union nations, including Ukraine. In January 2022, Russia's output was 11.3 billion barrels a day, with crude oil making up 10 million barrels of this figure. Refined oil products accounted for 960,000 barrels, and liquid natural gas accounted for 340,000 barrels a day.
Russia's exports of petroleum products totalled 2.85 million barrels a day, comprising 1.1 million barrels of gas oil, 650,000 barrels of fuel oil, 500,000 barrels of naphtha, and 280,000 barrels of vacuum gas oil. The remaining 350,000 barrels included gasoline, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), jet fuel, and petroleum coke. European nations take about two-thirds of Russia's oil exports, while China is the biggest single buyer, importing 1.6 million barrels a day in 2021.
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Russia's oil and gas production facilities
Russia has oil and gas production facilities throughout the country, with the bulk of its fields concentrated in western and eastern Siberia. In 2021, Russian crude and condensate output reached 10.5 million barrels per day, making up 14% of the world's total supply.
Gazprom and Novatek are Russia's main gas producers, with Gazprom being the largest and state-owned. Gazprom's share of production has declined over the past decade, as Novatek and another company, Rosneft, have expanded their production capacity. Gazprom's Amur natural gas processing plant is under construction in Russia's Far East and will be one of the largest natural gas processing plants in the world upon completion. Lukoil, another major Russian oil company, has five major facilities in Russia to process associated natural gas.
Russia has the world's second-largest gas infrastructure, with a total length of almost 100,000 km (62,137 miles). In 2021, European imports of gas from Russia were more than 380 million cubic metres (mcm) per day via pipeline, totalling about 140 billion cubic metres (bcm) for the year. Russia has a wide-reaching gas export pipeline network, with pipelines sending gas directly into Europe, including the Nord Stream, Blue Stream, and TurkStream pipelines.
Russia's refineries processed 5.4 million barrels per day of oil in 2024, down from almost 6 million barrels per day in January 2022 before the invasion of Ukraine. In January 2025, Ukrainian drone strikes hit several of Russia's refineries, including major facilities such as Ryazan and Volgograd, which temporarily halted production.
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Frequently asked questions
Russia is one of the world's top three crude oil producers, vying for the top spot with Saudi Arabia and the United States. In 2009, Russia produced 12% of the world's oil and held a similar share of global oil exports. In 2021, Russia's crude and condensate output reached 10.5 million barrels per day, making up 14% of the world's total supply.
Russia is the world's largest exporter of oil and petroleum products. In 2021, Russia exported an estimated 4.7 million barrels per day of crude to countries around the world.
China is the largest importer of Russian crude, importing 1.6 million barrels per day in 2021. Russia also exports significant volumes to buyers in Europe (2.4 million barrels per day in 2021) and Asia.
In 2019, the countries importing the most Russian natural gas included Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway, and Serbia, each importing about 99% of their natural gas from Russia. As of 2021, Russia supplied 40% of the European Union's natural gas imports.
Russia is the world's largest exporter of natural gas, accounting for 45% of the European Union's imports in 2021. In 2021, Russia exported 185 billion cubic meters of natural gas, making up about 12% of the world's consumption.











































