Nigeria was the leading oil producer in Africa as of 2023. Oil production amounted to roughly ** million metric tons in the country. Algeria, Libya, and Angola followed, each with an output above ** million metric tons. In the same year, the overall production of oil in Africa, including crude oil, shale oil, oil sands, and NGLs, reached ***** million metric tons, *** percent more than in 2022.
Main producers, main exporters
While being the main oil producer in Africa, Nigeria was also the largest crude oil exporter in the continent. The country sold nearly *** million barrels of oil daily to the international market in 2022. Angola and Libya followed, with an export volume of roughly *** million and ******* barrels per day, respectively. North and West Africa's contribution to the global oil exports reached nearly ***** percent as of 2023.
Reserves and refinery capacity
Africa’s crude oil reserves remained stable in 2021, accumulating to ***** billion barrels. From a country perspective, Libya had the highest amount of crude oil reserves in the continent, **** billion barrels, while the Nigerian reserves amounted to **** billion barrels. When it comes to oil refining, Egypt led, with a refinery capacity of *** thousand barrels daily.
According to the source, "includes crude oil, shale oil, oil sands, condensates (lease condensate or gas condensates that require further refining) and NGLs (natural gas liquids – ethane, LPG and naphtha separated from the production of natural gas)".
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Energy Institute. (June 20, 2024). Oil production in Africa as of 2023, by country (in million metric tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 13, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1178514/main-oil-producing-countries-in-africa/
Energy Institute. "Oil production in Africa as of 2023, by country (in million metric tons)." Chart. June 20, 2024. Statista. Accessed June 13, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1178514/main-oil-producing-countries-in-africa/
Energy Institute. (2024). Oil production in Africa as of 2023, by country (in million metric tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 13, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1178514/main-oil-producing-countries-in-africa/
Energy Institute. "Oil Production in Africa as of 2023, by Country (in Million Metric Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 20 Jun 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1178514/main-oil-producing-countries-in-africa/
Energy Institute, Oil production in Africa as of 2023, by country (in million metric tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1178514/main-oil-producing-countries-in-africa/ (last visited June 13, 2025)
Oil production in Africa as of 2023, by country (in million metric tons) [Graph], Energy Institute, June 20, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1178514/main-oil-producing-countries-in-africa/