US crude production for 2025 set a new record, buoyed by gains in efficiencies in drilling and operations.
According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the US remains the world’s largest crude producer. The US has held the title of largest crude producer since overtaking Russian output in 2018.
An EIA analysis released on 9 July indicated crude oil production in the US, including lease condensate, averaged a record-high 13.6 million BOPD in 2025, breaking the previous US and global production record of 13.2 million BOPD set the previous year.
Permian Basin output grew 4% year over year, rising from 6.3 million BOPD in 2024 to 6.6 million BOPD in 2025. The Permian accounted for about 48% of US production in 2025.
The agency noted the country’s production grew despite lower oil prices. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices dropped from an average of $77/bbl in 2024 to $65/bbl in 2025 amid global oversupply.
The EIA said the gap between US crude oil production and that of other major producers widened last year with US output averaging about 40% higher in 2025 than production from the next two largest producers, Russia and Saudi Arabia. Russian output was largely unchanged year over year at 9.9 million BOPD, as voluntary production cuts and the ongoing conflict with Ukraine limited crude oil production growth.
Saudi Arabia increased production as OPEC+ began unwinding voluntary production cuts. In 2024, Saudi Arabia logged 9.2 million BOPD, which rose to 9.6 million last year.
The EIA forecasts US crude oil production will remain near 13.7 million BOPD in 2026 and increase to 14.2 million BOPD in 2027, based on its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) released 7 July. The agency said WTI price increases and continued improvements in shale well productivity are expected to drive that growth.
In its July STEO, the EIA said the 18 June memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran prompted the agency to raise its expectations for global oil production for the duration of 2026. As a result, the EIA said it now expects most crude oil production to return to near pre-conflict averages by the end of this year and for the majority of shut-in crude oil production to be back online in the first quarter of 2027.
Parallel with growth in crude oil production, the EIA noted that US associated natural gas production has also surged. The increase has been driven by activity in oil-dominant plays such as the Permian. In 2024, the most recent year for which data are available, the US remained the world’s largest natural gas producer.