The United States produced a record-high 13.6 million barrels of crude oil per day in 2025, cementing its position as the world's largest producer for the eighth consecutive year, according to data released this week by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The country has held the top spot since 2018, when it first overtook Russia, and last year's output broke both the previous U.S. record and the highest production level ever recorded by any nation.
U.S. crude oil production, including lease condensate, was roughly 40% higher on average in 2025 than output from the next two largest producers, Russia and Saudi Arabia. Russia's production averaged 9.9 million barrels per day in 2024 and remained largely unchanged in 2025, held back by voluntary production cuts and the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Saudi Arabia's output increased from 9.2 million barrels per day in 2024 to 9.6 million barrels per day in 2025 as OPEC+ began unwinding voluntary production cuts. The Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico saw particularly strong growth, with a 4% increase in crude oil production from 6.3 million barrels per day in 2024 to 6.6 million barrels per day in 2025, accounting for approximately 48% of total U.S. production.
The report notes that U.S. crude oil production "has been buoyed by continued gains in drilling productivity and operational efficiency across key shale basins, which allow operators to extract more oil per well." The EIA emphasizes that shale oil and gas development "turned the United States into not just the world's largest producer, but the largest producer of crude oil ever." Remarkably, this growth continued in 2025 despite lower oil prices, with West Texas Intermediate prices dropping from an average of $77 per barrel in 2024 to $65 per barrel in 2025 amid global oversupply.
The production surge stems from a technological revolution that started in 2008, when shale development reversed a multi-decade decline in U.S. crude oil output. Operators have continuously improved their ability to extract more oil from each well through better drilling techniques and operational efficiency, allowing production to climb even when prices fell. The abundance of associated natural gas from oil-dominant plays like the Permian has created a parallel boom, supporting domestic natural gas-fired electricity generation and growing exports. The United States was the world's largest natural gas producer in 2024, the most recent year for which data is available.
Looking ahead, the EIA forecasts that U.S. crude oil production will remain near 13.7 million barrels per day in 2026 before increasing to 14.2 million barrels per day in 2027, according to its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook. The expected growth comes as prices rebound, with West Texas Intermediate projected to increase by $22 per barrel to $88 per barrel in 2026. Combined with continued improvements in shale well productivity, rising prices should push the United States even further ahead of global competitors in the coming years.