Libya, Nigeria, and Algeria held more than 80% of Africa’s recoverable oil reserves in 2024

Key Takeaways

  • Libya leads Africa with 48.4 billion barrels of recoverable oil, the continent’s highest.
  • Nigeria ranks second with 37.3 billion barrels, accounting for about 27% of reserves among top holders.
  • Algeria holds 12.2 billion barrels, rounding out the top three and far ahead of other nations.
  • Sudan, Egypt, and Angola each contribute between 2.5 and 5 billion barrels, showing smaller but notable reserves.

As of 2024, Africa’s oil wealth remains highly concentrated, with just a few countries controlling the bulk of recoverable reserves. Libya tops the list with 48.4 billion barrels, followed closely by Nigeria with 37.3 billion barrels. Together, these two nations alone hold nearly 60% of the total reserves listed among Africa’s top producers. Algeria, with 12.2 billion barrels, sits in third place and reinforces North Africa's dominance in oil endowment.

Beyond the top three, other African producers like Sudan (5.0b), Egypt (3.3b), Angola (2.5b), and Gabon (2.0b) hold more modest shares. Countries like Congo (1.8b) and Equatorial Guinea (1.1b) round out the list, pointing to the broader but thinner spread of reserves across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Source:

OPEC

Period:

2024
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Algeria, Nigeria, Egypt and Libya accounted for 78% of Africa’s 144 active oil rigs in 2024
  • Algeria leads Africa with 41 active oil rigs, making up nearly 29% of the continent's total count.
  • Nigeria follows with 31 rigs, confirming its strong position in West Africa’s upstream oil activity.
  • Egypt ranks third with 23 rigs, while Libya maintains 18 rigs despite its fluctuating political climate.
  • The top seven countries host 122 of Africa’s 144 rigs, showing drilling operations are concentrated in just a handful of nations.
The United States, Canada, and Iran account for over 50% of the world’s 1,802 active oil rigs in 2024, with Nigeria ranking 15th globally with 31 rigs
  • The United States remains the undisputed leader with 589 active rigs, accounting for nearly a third of all rigs worldwide in 2024.
  • Canada (162 rigs) and Iran (117 rigs) follow as the second and third highest contributors to global drilling activity.
  • Middle Eastern producers dominate the top 10, with Kuwait (80), UAE (73), Saudi Arabia (70), Iraq (62), and Oman (50) collectively operating 335 rigs.
  • Nigeria ranks 15th globally with 31 active rigs, making it one of only two African nations in the global top 20.
  • The top 10 countries account for over 75% of the world’s active rigs, reflecting the continued concentration of drilling infrastructure in a handful of key oil-producing regions.
Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Iran hold over 50% of the world’s 1.57 trillion barrels in recoverable crude oil reserves, with Nigeria among top 10
  • The world’s total proven recoverable crude oil reserves stand at 1.57 trillion barrels in 2024.
  • Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Iran collectively hold over 50% of these reserves, with 303.2B, 267.2B, and 208.6B barrels respectively.
  • Nigeria ranks 10th globally with 37.3 billion barrels, placing it ahead of other major producers like Kazakhstan, China, and Brazil.
  • The majority of the largest reserves are concentrated in Middle Eastern and South American countries, with only a few top holders located in North America, Africa, and Asia.
Libya tops list as African fuel prices remain below $1 in the top 9 African nations
  • Libya maintains its position as the cheapest fuel market in Africa with just $0.028 per litre.
  • Nine out of ten countries have fuel prices under $1 per litre, signalling widespread affordability across much of the continent.
  • Nigeria, despite partial subsidy reforms, still ranks among the cheapest with fuel priced at $0.586 per litre.
  • DR Congo is the only country in the top 10 where fuel costs exceed $1 per litre, standing at $1.039.
  • Ethiopia and Liberia are the only non-oil-producing countries among Africa’s top 10 cheapest fuel markets.
Following subsidy removal, Nigeria’s average daily fuel consumption collapsed from 66.7m litres to 47.5m litres
  • Nigeria’s daily fuel consumption peaked at 66.7 million litres in 2022.
  • Fuel consumption fell to 47.5 million litres in 2023 after the subsidy removal.
  • Consumption rebounded slightly to 51.8 million litres in 2024, but remains far below 2022 levels.
  • Between 2015 and 2022, consumption grew from 48.7m to 66.7m litres daily.
  • 2021 saw a notable increase to 61.9m litres, likely due to economic recovery post-COVID.
  • The lowest recorded consumption in the 10-year period was 47.5m litres in 2023.
  • The post-subsidy dip marks the largest single-year decline in consumption within the observed period.
Dangote Refinery led with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, representing almost 67% of Nigeria’s total functional refining capacity in early 2025
Key takeaways:
  • As of January to June 2025, Nigeria had nine operational refineries.
  • Dangote Petroleum Refinery is the largest, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (bpd).
  • The total combined capacity of all functional refineries is almost 975,000 bpd.
  • Government-owned refineries, Warri, Kaduna, and Port Harcourt (old), collectively have a capacity of 295,000 bpd.
  • Out of 27 licensed refineries by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), only nine were operational during this period.
  • Other operational refineries such as Aradel, OPAC, Edo, Waltersmith, and Duport Midstream collectively have a capacity of 29,500 bpd.
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