These Are the Largest Buyers of American Oil—Indonesia Included

The United States is consolidating its position as one of the world’s largest energy exporters. In 2025, nearly 4 billion barrels of American oil were shipped to various countries, underscoring the importance of the US role in global energy trade.

Interestingly, the largest buyer of American oil is not an economic powerhouse such as China or Japan, but rather a European nation. According to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) compiled by Visual Capitalist, the Netherlands has become the largest importer of American oil in 2025.

The Netherlands holds the top position with imports of approximately 419 million barrels of US crude oil in 2025. This increase has been driven by surging European energy demand following the reduction in Russian supplies since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Most of this oil enters through Rotterdam Port, one of the world’s largest energy hubs, which serves as a processing centre and distribution point for various European countries.

Latin American nations also feature prominently amongst the top buyers of American oil, including Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and Ecuador, with Mexico ranking second as one of the largest consumers of US crude. Canada, geographically located in North America, also occupies a top position with imports of approximately 324 million barrels in 2025, a slight increase from the previous year.

Notably, despite possessing substantial oil reserves, Canada continues to import oil from the US. This occurs due to refining capacity constraints and suboptimal pipeline infrastructure, particularly for transporting oil from western to eastern regions.

Asian nations also remain important buyers of American oil, including South Korea, India, and China. However, 2025 witnessed significant changes in energy trading patterns in the region. China’s imports of American oil dropped by approximately 81 million barrels, causing the country to fall to sixth place from its previous third position. This decline is attributed to increased purchases of discounted crude from sanctioned nations such as Iran, Venezuela, and Russia.

Meanwhile, Indonesia ranks 18th with total imports of 57 million barrels, accounting for approximately 1.5 per cent of all US oil exports in 2025.