Oil exporting countries. The largest oil exporters - the list

Many oil-producing countries were able to develop their economies through the implementation of the main resource. But the dynamic growth of indicators would be impossible if the developing states did not unite.

Groups of oil-producing countries

Before we find out what kind of organizations regulate the production of crude oil and the conditions for its implementation, it is necessary to understand which states they are part of. So, the main exporters of oil are those countries where it is mined. At the same time, the states, which are world leaders, produce more than one billion barrels per year.

Experts all countries are divided into several groups:

- OPEC members;

- The USA and Canada;

- North Sea countries;

- other large states.

World leadership belongs to the first group.

History of OPEC

An international organization that unites the main oil exporters is often called a cartel. It was created by several countries to stabilize prices for the main raw material resource. This organization is called OPEC (English OPEC - The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries).

The main oil exporting countries, which belonged to the developing states, merged in 1960. This historic event took place at the September conference in Baghdad. The initiative was supported by five countries: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Venezuela. This happened after the 7 largest transnational companies engaged in oil production, still called the "Seven Sisters", reduced unilaterally the purchase prices of oil. After all, depending on its value, they were forced to pay rent for the right to develop deposits and taxes.

But the new independent states wanted to control oil production on their territory and monitor the exploitation of resources. And given that in 1960 the supply of this raw material exceeded demand, one of the goals of creating OPEC was to prevent further price reductions.

Beginning of work

After the establishment of the international organization, the oil exporting countries began to join it. So, during the 1960s, the number of states that joined OPEC doubled. The organization was joined by Indonesia, Qatar, Libya, Algeria, United Arab Emirates. At the same time, a declaration was adopted that enshrines the oil policy. It said that countries have the right to exercise constant control over their resources and to ensure that they are used for their development.

Major oil exporters in the world in the 1970s completely took control of the production of combustible liquid. It is from the activities of OPEC, the prices set for the raw resource began to depend. During this period other oil-exporting countries joined the organization. The list has expanded to 13 participants: it includes also Ecuador, Nigeria and Gabon.

Necessary reforms

The 1980s were a rather difficult period. Indeed, at the beginning of the decade, prices have risen unseen. But by 1986 they had declined, the price was around $ 10 per barrel. This was a significant blow, all oil-exporting countries suffered. OPEC managed to stabilize the cost of raw materials. At the same time, a dialogue was established with states that are not members of this organization. Quotas for oil production for OPEC members were also established. The mechanism of pricing was agreed in cartels.

The Importance of OPEC

To understand the trends in the world oil market, it is important to know how OPEC's impact on the situation has changed. So, in the early 1970s, the participating countries controlled only 2% of the national extraction of this raw material. Already in 1973, the states achieved the fact that 20% of oil production was transferred to their control, and by 1980 they were subject to more than 86% of the entire resource development. With this in mind, the oil-exporting countries that joined OPEC have become an independent determining force in the market. By that time, transnational corporations had lost their power, because the states, if possible, nationalized the entire oil industry.

General trends

But not all oil-exporting countries were part of a specialized international organization. For example, in the 1990s, the Gabonese government decided on the need to withdraw from OPEC, in the same period Ecuador temporarily suspended participation in the organization's affairs (from 1992 to 2007). Russia, which holds the leading position in terms of the volume of extraction of this resource, in 1998 became an observer in the cartels.

Currently, OPEC members total 40% of the world's oil production. At the same time, they own 80% of the proved reserves of this raw material. The organization can change the required level of oil production in participating countries, increasing or decreasing it at its own discretion. At the same time, most of the states involved in the development of deposits of this resource are operating at full capacity.

Main exporters

Now OPEC members are 12 countries. Some states that develop raw materials base work independently. For example, these are the largest oil exporters, like Russia and the United States. They are not affected by the influence of OPEC, the organization does not dictate the conditions for the extraction and sale of this raw material. But they are compelled to reconcile themselves with the world tendencies set by the member countries of the cartel. At the moment, Russia and the United States occupy a leading position in the world market along with Saudi Arabia. The level of production of combustible liquid for each state accounts for more than 10%.

But this is not all the main oil exporting countries. The list of dozens of leaders includes also China, Canada, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.

Now in more than 100 different states there are oil deposits, they are developing deposits. But the volumes of extracted resources, of course, are incommensurably small in comparison with those owned by the largest oil-exporting countries.

Other organizations

OPEC is the most significant union of oil-producing states, but not the only one. So, for example, in the 1970s the International Energy Agency was organized. Its members were immediately 26 countries. IEA regulates the activities of non-exporters, and the main importers of raw materials. The task of this agency is to develop the mechanisms of interaction that are necessary in crisis situations. So, it was the strategies developed by him that allowed to reduce the influence of OPEC in the market. The main recommendations of the IEA were that countries create oil reserves, develop optimal routes for the movement of raw materials in case of embargo, and conduct other necessary organizational arrangements. This has contributed to the fact that not only the largest oil exporters can dictate the conditions on the market.