Algeria, Nigeria, Egypt and Libya accounted for 78% of Africa’s 144 active oil rigs in 2024

Key Takeaways

  • 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.

In 2024, Africa had a total of 144 active oil rigs, a figure that reflects the continent's ongoing engagement in hydrocarbon exploration and production. Algeria led the count with 41 rigs, followed by Nigeria with 31, Egypt with 23 and Libya with 18, a quad that collectively accounted for 78% of Africa’s total. These countries, situated across North and West Africa, remain the continent’s upstream powerhouses, hosting some of its most developed oil fields and mature energy infrastructure.

Beyond the top four, only a few nations contributed to Africa's rig count. Angola had 4 rigs, Gabon 3, and Congo 2, bringing the total among these seven countries to 122. The remaining 22 rigs were distributed across other African nations.

Source:

OPEC

Period:

2024
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  • Algeria holds 12.2 billion barrels, rounding out the top three and far ahead of other nations.
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