The 2025 annual OPEC basket price stood at ***** U.S. dollars per barrel as of July. 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.

On September 15, 2025, the Brent crude oil price stood at 67.45 U.S. dollars per barrel, compared to 63.3 U.S. dollars for WTI oil and 71.01 U.S. dollars for the OPEC basket. Oil prices rose slightly that week.Europe's Brent crude oil, the U.S. WTI crude oil, and OPEC's basket are three of the most important benchmarks used by traders as reference for global oil and gasoline prices. Lowest ever oil prices during coronavirus pandemic In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic resulted in crude oil prices hitting a major slump as oil demand drastically declined following lockdowns and travel restrictions. Initial outlooks and uncertainty surrounding the course of the pandemic brought about a disagreement between two of the largest oil producers, Russia and Saudi Arabia, in early March. Bilateral talks between global oil producers ended in agreement on April 13th, with promises to cut petroleum output and hopes rising that these might help stabilize the oil price in the coming weeks. However, with storage facilities and oil tankers quickly filling up, fears grew over where to store excess oil, leading to benchmark prices seeing record negative prices between April 20 and April 22, 2020. How crude oil prices are determined As with most commodities, crude oil prices are impacted by supply and demand, as well as inventories and market sentiment. However, as oil is most often traded in future contracts (where a contract is agreed upon while product delivery will follow in the next two to three months), market speculation is one of the principal determinants for oil prices. Traders make conclusions on how production output and consumer demand will likely develop over the coming months, leaving room for uncertainty. Spot prices differ from futures in so far as they reflect the current market price of a commodity.

This dataset contains information about world's crude oil prices for 1861-2020. Data from BP. Follow datasource.kapsarc.org for timely data to advance energy economics research.Notes: 1861-1944 US Average 1945-1983 Arabian Light posted at Ras Tanura 1984-2016 Brent dated. $2020 (deflated using the Consumer Price Index for the US

Crude Oil fell to 62.27 USD/Bbl on September 22, 2025, down 0.21% from the previous day. Over the past month, Crude Oil's price has fallen 3.91%, and is down 11.51% compared to the same time last year, 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 September of 2025.

In July 2025, the average price of the OPEC basket was 70.97 U.S. dollars per barrel. This was an increase compared to the previous month, which was among the lowest values in the past 24 months. The OPEC basket is a weighted average of prices for petroleum blends produced by OPEC countries. OPEC stands for “Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries” and was founded in 1960 in Baghdad, Iraq. The main aim of OPEC is to coordinate the oil policies of its members, and thus to have more influence on the international oil market. It is used as an important benchmark for crude oil prices. The OPEC basket oil price The OPEC crude oil price is defined by the price of the so-called OPEC (reference) basket. This basket is an average of the prices of petroleum blends that are produced by the OPEC members. The following countries are members of this organization: Algeria, Angola, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and the United Arab Emirates. Some of these oil blends are, for example, the Saharan Blend from Algeria, Basra Light from Iraq, and Arab Light from Saudi Arabia. The OPEC reference basket includes both heavy and light crude oils and is heavier than most other crudes. OPEC's oil production amounted to 32.8 million barrels per day in 2024. Oil price benchmarks The OPEC basket is one of the most crucial benchmarks for crude oil pricing 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. Looking at the OPEC price within the last two years, the highest price was some 94.6 U.S. dollars per barrel in September 2023.

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The crude oil market has the potential to grow by 4781.60 million barrels during 2021-2025, and the market’s growth momentum will decelerate at a CAGR of 2.73%.

This crude oil market research report provides valuable insights on the post COVID-19 impact on the market, which will help companies evaluate their business approaches. Furthermore, this report extensively covers market segmentation by production area (onshore and offshore) and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, MEA, and South America). The report also offers information on several market vendors, including BP Plc, Chevron Corp., and ConocoPhillips Co., among others.

What will the Crude Oil Market Size be in 2021?

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Crude Oil Market: Key Drivers and Trends

Based on our research output, there has been a negative impact on the market growth during and post COVID-19 era. The increasing upstream investment is notably driving the crude oil market growth, although factors such as fluctuations in global crude oil prices may impede market growth. To unlock information on the key market drivers and the COVID-19 pandemic impact on the crude oil industry get your FREE report sample now.

      The rising energy demand across the world has prompted governments to explore untapped oil and gas resources in the upstream sector, using advanced technologies.
      The production of oil and natural gas is declining from many conventional oilfields. To overcome this issue, oil and gas operators are increasing investments in mature oil and gas fields.
      The adoption of unconventional exploration and production technologies in large shale deposits has widened opportunities for upstream oil and gas companies.
      The growing investments in the upstream oil and gas sector will significantly influence crude oil market growth over the forecast period.




      Technological development in the hydraulic fracturing process is aiding in the exploration and production of oil and gas from shale plays.
      The advances in the drilling technology and proppant placement in downhole wells increased hydrocarbon recovery from unconventional wells.
      Technological advances such as integration of the internet of things (IoT) for data acquisition, as well as the use of data analytics and machine learning, supports the efficiency of tools that is one of the key crude oil market trends.
      Real-time pressure data is crucial in crude oil production as it eliminates the over-fracturing issue.
      Automation of hydraulic fracturing optimizes the hydraulic fracturing method using algorithmic controls and supports enhanced well performance.

This crude oil market analysis report also provides detailed information on other upcoming trends and challenges that will have a far-reaching effect on the market growth. Get detailed insights on the trends and challenges, which will help companies evaluate and develop growth strategies.

Who are the Major Crude Oil Market Vendors?

The report analyzes the market’s competitive landscape and offers information on several market vendors, including:

BP Plc
Chevron Corp.
ConocoPhillips Co.
Exxon Mobil Corp.
PetroChina Co. Ltd.
Petroleo Brasileiro SA
Qatar Petroleum
Rosneft Oil Co.
Royal Dutch Shell Plc
Saudi Arabian Oil Co.

The crude oil market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying various organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market. Click here to uncover other successful business strategies deployed by the vendors.

To make the most of the opportunities and recover from post COVID-19 impact, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Download a free sample of the crude oil market forecast report for insights on complete key vendor profiles. The profiles include information on the production, sustainability, and prospects of the leading companies.

Which are the Key Regions for Crude Oil Market?

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44% of the market’s growth will originate from APAC during the forecast period. China, India, and Japan are the key markets for crude oil in APAC. Market growth in this region will be faster than the growth of the market in Europe, North America, and South America.

To garner further competitive intelligence and regional opportunities in store for vendors, view our sample report.

What are the Revenue-generating Production Area Segments in the Crude Oil Market?

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The crude oil market share growth by the onshore segment will be significant during the forecast period. In onshore exploration and production operations

Graph and download economic data for Crude Oil Prices: Brent - Europe (DCOILBRENTEU) from 1987-05-20 to 2025-09-02 about crude, oil, Europe, commodities, and price.

Brent rose to 67.60 USD/Bbl on September 23, 2025, up 1.55% from the previous day. Over the past month, Brent's price has fallen 1.74%, and is down 10.07% 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 September of 2025.

This dataset contains information about daily spot prices for crude oil WTI and Brent from 1986. data from US Energy Information AdministrationNotes:Citation: "Spot Prices For Crude Oil And Petroleum Products". Eia.gov. N.p., 2016. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.

Why did the Crude Oil Price Change in July 2025? Crude oil prices declined by 10.2 on % quarter-on-quarter basis. Prices have declined in April and May; however, in June, crude oil prices rebounded to settle at WTI at USD 68.04/barrel by the last week of June—the highest since January.

The 2025 preliminary average annual price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil reached 68.25 U.S. dollars per barrel as of July. This would be eight U.S. dollars below the 2024 average and the lowest annual average since 2021. WTI and other benchmarks WTI is a grade of crude oil also known as “Texas light sweet.” It is measured to have an API gravity of around 39.6 and specific gravity of about 0.83, which is considered “light” relative to other crude oils. This oil also contains roughly 0.24 percent sulfur, and is therefore named “sweet.” Crude oils are some of the most closely observed commodity prices in the world. WTI is the underlying commodity of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s oil futures contracts. The price of other crude oils, such as UK Brent crude oil, the OPEC crude oil basket, and Dubai Fateh oil, can be compared to that of WTI crude oil. Since 1976, the price of WTI crude oil has increased notably, rising from just 12.23 U.S. dollars per barrel in 1976 to a peak of 99.06 dollars per barrel in 2008. Geopolitical conflicts and their impact on oil prices The price of oil is controlled in part by limiting oil production. Prior to 1971, the Texas Railroad Commission controlled the price of oil by setting limits on production of U.S. oil. In 1971, the Texas Railroad Commission ceased limiting production, but OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries with member states Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela among others, continued to do so. In 1972, due to geopolitical conflict, OPEC set an oil embargo and cut oil production, causing prices to quadruple by 1974. Oil prices rose again in 1979 and 1980 due to the Iranian revolution, and doubled between 1978 and 1981 as the Iran-Iraq War prevented oil production. A number of geopolitical conflicts and periods of increased production and consumption have influenced the price of oil since then.

Discover the factors that influenced the fluctuations in crude oil prices in 2017, including supply and demand dynamics, geopolitical events, and environmental factors. Learn about the impact of OPEC production cuts, increasing shale oil production, tensions in the Middle East, and natural disasters. Understand the price range and the overall volatility experienced throughout the year.

View monthly updates and historical trends for Average Crude Oil Spot Price. Source: World Bank. Track economic data with YCharts analytics.

Abstract The recent movement of oil prices has brought many forecasts about what is coming in the near future. This is natural since the plunge in prices has been dramatic after 2014 and oil is an essential source of energy worldwide. This paper examines the probabilities of spot price scenarios. We model prices through stochastic processes focusing on the Schwartz-Smith model. The calibration is based on the term structure of future prices. Since the conditional distribution is log-normal we define the probability of a certain value of the spot price in a given time horizon. We found that the recovery of crude oil prices will be slow in the next four years. Moreover, the scenario of prices under US$ 20/barrel has the same probability as being greater than US$ 50/barrel. The methodology has many applications, mainly for government planning and for oil companies in their capital budget decisions.

Get the latest insights on price movement and trend analysis of Crude Oil in different regions across the world (Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East Africa).

Crude Oil and Natural Gas Market Outlook

The global crude oil and natural gas market size was valued at approximately USD 2.5 trillion in 2023 and is expected to reach around USD 3.1 trillion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 2.4% during the forecast period. The market's growth is significantly driven by the increasing global energy demand and ongoing industrialization in emerging economies. Other contributing factors include technological advancements in extraction and production methods, as well as geopolitical dynamics affecting supply chains and pricing.

One major growth factor is the rising global energy consumption, which continues to surge due to rapid industrialization and urbanization in countries like China, India, and Brazil. These nations are experiencing extensive growth in their manufacturing and transportation sectors, leading to higher demand for crude oil and natural gas. Additionally, natural gas is becoming increasingly popular as a cleaner alternative to coal for power generation, further boosting market demand. Innovations in extraction technologies, such as hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, have also enabled access to previously untapped reserves, enhancing supply capabilities.

Another critical driver is the investment in infrastructure to support the growing energy needs. Governments and private entities are investing heavily in pipelines, refineries, and storage facilities to improve efficiency and ensure a steady supply of crude oil and natural gas. Moreover, advancements in liquefied natural gas (LNG) technologies are making it easier to transport gas over long distances, opening up new markets and driving international trade. The geopolitical landscape also plays a significant role, with oil-rich nations forming strategic partnerships and alliances to control and stabilize global oil prices.

The increasing focus on energy security is also propelling the market. Countries are keen to reduce their dependency on foreign oil and gas imports by investing in domestic production capabilities and exploring renewable energy sources. However, despite the push for renewables, crude oil and natural gas remain indispensable for many applications, including transportation, industrial processes, and residential heating. This dual focus on energy security and diversification continues to stimulate market growth while also promoting technological innovations aimed at increasing production efficiency and reducing environmental impacts.

Regionally, the market outlook varies significantly. North America, led by the United States, remains a dominant player due to its extensive shale gas reserves and technological advancements in drilling. Europe is focusing on diversifying its energy mix and reducing dependency on Russian gas, while Asia-Pacific is experiencing robust growth driven by industrialization and urbanization. The Middle East & Africa continues to be a crucial supplier, leveraging its vast reserves to meet global demand. These regional dynamics play a pivotal role in shaping the global market landscape, creating both opportunities and challenges for stakeholders.

Product Type Analysis

The crude oil segment remains the largest contributor to the overall market, driven by its extensive use in transportation fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel. Its applications extend beyond energy to the production of petrochemicals, which are essential for manufacturing plastics, synthetic rubber, and numerous other industrial goods. The demand for crude oil is also bolstered by its role in various industrial processes and the ongoing investments in refining capacities around the world. Innovations in refining technologies are further enhancing the efficiency and output of crude oil processing, making it a continually vital commodity.

Natural gas, on the other hand, is experiencing rapid growth as a cleaner and more efficient alternative to traditional fossil fuels. Its applications span from electricity generation to residential heating and cooking. The development of LNG technology has revolutionized natural gas distribution, enabling it to be transported across the globe and reach markets that were previously inaccessible. Additionally, natural gas is increasingly used in the industrial sector for processes requiring high thermal energy and in the production of chemicals like ammonia and methanol. The environmental advantages of natural gas, such as lower carbon emissions compared to coal and oil, are also contributing to its rising popularity.

Furthermore, the exploration and production seg

Oil shocks exert influence on macroeconomic activity through various channels, many of which imply a symmetric effect. However, the effect can also be asymmetric. In particular, sharp oil price changes "either increases or decreases" may reduce aggregate output temporarily because they delay business investment by raising uncertainty or induce costly sectoral resource reallocation. Consistent with these asymmetric-effect hypotheses, the authors find that a volatility measure constructed using daily crude oil futures prices has a negative and significant effect on future gross domestic product (GDP) growth over the period 1984-2004. Moreover, the effect becomes more significant after oil price changes are also included in the regression to control for the symmetric effect. The evidence here provides economic rationales for Hamilton's (2003) nonlinear oil shock measure: It captures overall effects, both symmetric and asymmetric, of oil price shocks on output.

Learn about the factors that influence crude oil prices and the importance of these prices in the global economy. Explore the benchmark prices, such as Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate, and understand how supply and demand, geopolitical events, production costs, and market speculation affect the price of crude oil. Discover the impact of crude oil prices on inflation, energy costs, investment opportunities, and as macroeconomic indicators.

Crude oil prices have experienced significant volatility in the past three years due to geopolitical tensions, supply and demand dynamics, and changes in global economic conditions. This article discusses the factors that have influenced oil prices, including production cuts, global oil supplies, U.S. sanctions on Iran, and the COVID-19 pandemic. It also provides an overview of the average price of Brent crude oil in 2018, 2019, and 2020, highlighting the impact of the pandemic on oil demand and prices.

As of July 2025, the average annual price of Brent crude oil stood at 71.79 U.S. dollars per barrel. This is over eight U.S. dollars lower than the 2024 average. Brent is the world's leading price benchmark for Atlantic basin crude oils. Crude oil is one of the most closely observed commodity prices as it influences costs across all stages of the production process and consequently alters the price of consumer goods as well. What determines crude oil benchmarks? In the past decade, crude oil prices have been especially volatile. Their inherent inelasticity regarding short-term changes in demand and supply means that oil prices are erratic by nature. However, since the 2009 financial crisis, many commercial developments have greatly contributed to price volatility, such as economic growth by BRIC countries like China and India, and the advent of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling in the U.S. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war are examples of geopolitical events dictating prices. Light crude oils - Brent and WTI Brent Crude is considered a classification of sweet light crude oil and acts as a benchmark price for oil around the world. It is considered a sweet light crude oil due to its low sulfur content and low density and may be easily refined into gasoline. This oil originates in the North Sea and comprises several different oil blends, including Brent Blend and Ekofisk crude. Often, this crude oil is refined in Northwest Europe. Another sweet light oil often referenced alongside UK Brent is West Texas Intermediate (WTI). WTI oil prices amounted to 76.55 U.S. dollars per barrel in 2024.