GCC crude output climbs 5% to 16.9 million barrels daily
GCC crude production rose 5% in 2025 to 16.9 million barrels per day, official statistics show.
· Last verified: 9 Nov 2026 (Emirates News Agency (WAM), GCC Statistical Centre)
Summary
- GCC crude production rose 5% in 2025 to 16.9 million barrels per day, official statistics show.
- Output had fallen in both 2023 and 2024 after peaking at 18.2 million barrels in 2022.
- The six states now supply 22.5% of world crude production and 27.3% of global crude exports.
The latest
Crude oil production across the six Gulf Cooperation Council states averaged 16.9 million barrels per day in 2025, a 5% increase on 2024, according to energy indicators published by the GCC Statistical Centre and carried by Emirates News Agency. That volume equals 22.5% of global crude output. It reverses two consecutive years of declining Gulf production.
Details
- The headline figure: GCC-Stat put 2025 crude production at 16.9 million barrels per day, up 5% from 2024. The centre framed the level as evidence of the Gulf's continuing weight within international energy supply chains. No breakdown by individual member state was published in the indicators.
- The export share: Gulf crude exports reached 12.2 million barrels per day in 2025, accounting for 27.3% of all crude traded globally. That means more than one in every four barrels crossing borders originates in a GCC state, a share the statistical centre linked to the region's role in meeting international market needs.
- The five-year trend: Production stood at 16.0 million barrels per day in 2021, climbed to 18.2 million in 2022, then slid to 17.0 million in 2023 and 16.1 million in 2024. The 2025 figure recovers part of that decline but remains below the 2022 peak.
- Demand growth: Average annual growth in global demand for GCC crude ran at 3.1% across the 2021-2025 period, according to the indicators. The centre did not publish a projection for demand growth beyond 2025.
- Natural gas: GCC states produced roughly 460.9 billion cubic metres of natural gas, representing 10.6% of world output. GCC-Stat tied the gas base to downstream manufacturing and the broader economic activity built around it, alongside its role in global energy demand.
- The transition track: The centre said member states are reshaping their energy systems through renewable expansion, higher consumption efficiency and clean energy projects, aimed at cutting emissions while sustaining economic growth.
- Uneven targets: National renewable share targets differ across the six states in both percentage and timeline, according to the indicators. The published figures did not list the individual country targets or the years attached to them.
- What the data covers: The indicators are an annual statistical release from GCC-Stat, the bloc's official statistics body, covering production, exports and demand across the energy sector for the member states collectively rather than individually.
Background
The GCC groups Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. Several members adjusted output through 2023 and 2024 under OPEC+ supply arrangements, a period that coincides with the two-year decline recorded in the statistical centre's own series.
Between the lines
The recovery to 16.9 million barrels per day still sits 1.3 million below the 2022 level, so the 5% rise restores part of what the 2023 and 2024 declines removed rather than setting a new high. The export share of 27.3% runs well ahead of the 22.5% production share, indicating Gulf barrels weigh more heavily in traded crude than in global output overall.
What's next
The next GCC-Stat annual energy release will show whether the 2025 rebound holds or stalls. Individual member states have not published the renewable share targets and timelines referenced in the indicators.