The 2025 annual OPEC basket price stood at ***** U.S. dollars per barrel as of June. This would be lower than the 2024 average, which amounted to ***** U.S. dollars. The abbreviation OPEC stands for Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and includes Algeria, Angola, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and the United Arab Emirates. The aim of the OPEC is to coordinate the oil policies of its member states. It was founded in 1960 in Baghdad, Iraq. The OPEC Reference Basket The OPEC crude oil price is defined by the price of the so-called OPEC (Reference) basket. This basket is an average of prices of the various petroleum blends that are produced by the OPEC members. Some of these oil blends are, for example: Saharan Blend from Algeria, Basra Light from Iraq, Arab Light from Saudi Arabia, BCF 17 from Venezuela, et cetera. By increasing and decreasing its oil production, OPEC tries to keep the price between a given maxima and minima. Benchmark crude oil The OPEC basket is one of the most important benchmarks for crude oil prices worldwide. Other significant benchmarks are UK Brent, West Texas Intermediate (WTI), and Dubai Crude (Fateh). Because there are many types and grades of oil, such benchmarks are indispensable for referencing them on the global oil market. The 2025 fall in prices was the result of weakened demand outlooks exacerbated by extensive U.S. trade tariffs.

Crude Oil rose to 68.75 USD/Bbl on July 11, 2025, up 3.27% from the previous day. Over the past month, Crude Oil's price has risen 1.04%, but it is still 16.37% lower than a year ago, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. Crude Oil - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

Oil prices drop amid uncertainties in US-Iran nuclear talks, impacting Brent crude and WTI. Market anticipates surplus despite volatility and demand growth.

Interactive chart showing the daily closing price for West Texas Intermediate (NYMEX) Crude Oil over the last 10 years. The prices shown are in U.S. dollars.

Interactive daily chart of Brent (Europe) crude oil prices over the last ten years. Values shown are daily closing prices.

On April 20th, 2020, the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil slumped into negative for the first time in history, falling to negative 37.63 U.S. dollars per barrel. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on the global oil and gas industry. Declining consumer demand and high levels of production output are threatening to exceed oil storage capacities, which resulted in the lowest ever oil prices noted between April 20th and April 22nd.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Fact and Figures page.

The price of US crude oil has been heavily influenced by factors such as global supply and demand, geopolitical tensions, and market speculation. This article explores the impact of these factors on oil prices, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shale revolution. It also discusses the historic collapse of oil prices in 2020 and the subsequent recovery, as well as the factors that will shape the future of US crude oil prices.

Nigeria's economy was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among others, oil prices experienced a sharp fall and the country lowered the daily crude oil production consistently. In January 2019, the price per barrel amounted to ** U.S. dollars per barrel, whereas in April 2020 the price dropped by ** dollars. Crude oil, petrol, and fuel represented Nigeria's main source of export value.

Oil-dependent nations face financial strain as crude prices drop. Learn how countries are adapting to economic challenges with policy changes and fiscal adjustments.

Heating Oil fell to 2.39 USD/Gal on July 16, 2025, down 0.68% from the previous day. Over the past month, Heating Oil's price has fallen 5.19%, and is down 4.39% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. Heating oil - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

In June 2025, the price for one barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil averaged 68.17 U.S. dollars. This was an increase compared to the previous month which had seen the lowest figure in the past 24-month period. WTI and other benchmark crudes WTI is also known as "Texas light sweet", and is a grade of crude oil used as a benchmark for oil produced in the United States. It has an API gravity of around 39.6 and specific gravity of about 0.827, which, relative to other crude oils, is considered “light,” hence the name. WTI also contains about 0.24 percent sulfur, making it a “sweet” crude oil. The price of WTI can be compared to the prices other of crude oils, i.e. UK Brent, the OPEC basket, and Dubai Fateh oil. WTI crude oil is the underlying commodity of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s oil futures contracts. U.S. oil production and its influence on light oil prices The price development of WTI crude oil relative to Brent crude oil has been influenced by variances in U.S. crude oil transportation and increased U.S. oil production. New transportation infrastructure became operational in early 2013, easing the movement of crude oil in the mid-continent and raising the price of WTI. Since then, U.S. refineries have increased production of crude oil to record levels, also raising the price of WTI. Meanwhile, expedited crude transport in the U.S. put downward pressure on Brent crude oil as domestic crude replaced some imported Brent crude. Between 2014 and 2016, UK Brent prices dropped rapidly, as was the case for all other crude oils.

The author argues that the economic benefits of low gasoline prices for the U.S. economy have fallen substantially since the reemergence of America as a major oil producer. The old rule-of thumb that a 10% fall in the oil price raises inflation-adjusted U.S. GDP by 0.2% is too large—the impact on economic activity should be closer to zero, and may even be negative if consumption grows slowly. The reasons for this change are straightforward, if underappreciated: (i) the value of oil production accounts for a larger share of the U.S. economy; and (ii) consumers are not spending the windfall like they used to because of higher debt levels, limited access to credit, slow wage rowth, and an older population.

Graph and download economic data for Crude Oil Prices: Brent - Europe (DCOILBRENTEU) from 1987-05-20 to 2025-06-16 about crude, oil, Europe, commodities, and price.

Brent rose to 70.45 USD/Bbl on July 14, 2025, up 0.12% from the previous day. Over the past month, Brent's price has fallen 3.80%, and is down 16.98% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. Brent crude oil - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

Urals Oil fell to 65.46 USD/Bbl on July 15, 2025, down 0.09% from the previous day. Over the past month, Urals Oil's price has fallen 2.27%, and is down 18.90% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for Urals Crude.

An overview of the crude oil price trends over the past 10 years, including factors such as geopolitical tensions, supply and demand dynamics, economic growth, and market speculation. Includes insights into the historic collapse in oil prices caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The global oil and gas market has undergone profound changes during the past year, in the face of the rapid decline in global crude oil prices. By February 2016, prices for Brent crude dropped to US$32 a barrel, having been on a downward trend since late 2013 when they were around US$110 a barrel. This fall greatly disrupted investment plans in new construction projects, both at country and company level.
Mature oil-producing countries, such as those in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), have reduced their investment in oil and gas construction projects as continually high production keeps oil prices at a low level. The recent agreement between Saudi Arabia and Russia to peg back production to January levels is unlikely to have an inflationary effect on prices until other producers, such as Iran, become involved. Iran is again supplying oil and gas to the market after long-term sanctions were lifted, so a reduction in supply does not align with its economic strategy.
In the past few years, countries outside the Middle East have recorded the fastest growth in production and investment in oil and gas projects. Canada, with its exploitation of its huge oil sands resources to produce oil, and the US, with growth in its oil and gas industry prior to the oil price collapse, have asserted themselves, along with Russia, as leading suppliers in the industry. Read More

In May 2025, the average monthly price of the Urals crude oil, Russia's major export oil brand, was approximately ***** U.S. dollars per barrel, having decreased from the previous month. In 2020, the price of the Urals experienced a considerable decrease at the beginning of the year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, dropping to as low as **** U.S. dollars per barrel in April. What is the purpose of the Russian oil price cap? In early December 2022, the G7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom (UK), and the United States), the European Union (EU), and Australia formed the Price Cap Coalition and imposed a price cap of 60 U.S. dollars per barrel on oil originating in Russia. The aim of the price ceiling is to decrease Russia’s earnings from oil exports and thereby limit the Russian government’s budget to finance the war in Ukraine. At the same time, the cap is meant to ensure that Russia continues to supply oil to emerging economies, though at a discounted price. With the cap in place, Russia cannot sell oil at a higher price even to third countries if the oil tankers are financed or insured by members of the Price Cap Coalition. In early February 2023, a price cap of 100 U.S. dollars per barrel was imposed on Russian refined oil products. Global dependence on Russian oil China was Russia’s leading crude oil export destination, with the value of exports measured at nearly **** billion U.S. dollars in 2021. In physical terms, Russia supplied around *** million metric tons of crude oil to China in 2024, being the leading crude oil import origin in the country ahead of Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, European countries were major consumers of Russian oil prior to the war in Ukraine. For instance, Russia accounted for over ** percent of oil and petroleum products imported into Slovakia in 2020. To compare, the dependence rate stood at nearly ** percent in Lithuania, ** percent in Germany, and ** percent in the UK.

Between 2002 and 2024, prices of OPEC Reference Basket oils fluctuated dramatically. For example, Saharan Blend from Algeria stood at some ** U.S. dollars per barrel in 2002. Ten years later, this figure had increased to more than *** U.S. dollars. In 2024, it stood at ***** U.S. dollars. Oil prices: a rollercoaster ride Oil prices are inherently volatile due to the speculative nature of their price determination. Thus, sudden economic and geopolitical events may have big influences on pricing. For example, some of the major factors behind price fluctuation since the 2000s have been the global financial crisis in 2008, the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, and the energy supply crisis and subsequent Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. As a result, the OPEC basket price has oscillated between lows of ** U.S. dollars and highs of *** U.S. dollars. Shale oil overproduction leads to 2010 oil glut The 2010s price crash was caused in part by ever-growing production of domestic shale and tight oil in the United States. Though nearly ** percent of global oil reserves can be found in OPEC countries, the United States has become the largest producer of oil worldwide in the last ten years.

Oil prices have dropped to a four-year low due to the US-China trade conflict, raising concerns about global energy demand and potential oversupply.