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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 4124
ANSWERED ON - 30/03/2026
INCREASE IN DEPENDENCE OF COUNTRY ON IMPORT OF CRUDE OIL
4124. SHRI RAMJI LAL SUMAN:
Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:
(a) whether dependence of India on imported crude oil has increased upto 88.6 per cent in
2026 which was 77.6 per cent in 2024;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the reasons for such steep rise in dependence on imported crude oil; and
(d) the details of crude oil production in 2015 and 2025 and reasons for decline in production
of crude oil in the country during the last five years?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
(SHRI SURESH GOPI)
(a) to (c) As per data published by the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC), the import
dependence of crude oil [on Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants (POL) consumption basis] during FY
2023–24, FY 2024–25 and FY 2025–26 has remained broadly at approximately 88%, with
marginal variations year to year.
India is currently the fourth largest economy and the third largest energy consumer globally. As
per the World Energy Outlook published by the International Energy Agency (IEA), India is set
to be the largest contributor to incremental global energy demand growth in the coming decades,
accounting for approximately 20–30% of the increase in global energy demand by 2050, under
various scenarios. Further, the country’s oil demand is projected to rise from the current level of
around 5.5 million barrels per day (mb/d) to upto 10.5 mb/d over the same period.
The high dependence on crude oil imports is primarily driven by rapid growth in energy demand.
India’s energy consumption has increased steadily due to sustained economic growth,
urbanization, and rising requirements across key sectors such as transport, petrochemicals and
other industry etc.
(d) Domestic Crude Oil production was 37.461 MMT in FY 2014-15 and 28.704 MMT in FY
2024-25.
Production is impacted due to natural decline in mature and ageing oil and gas fields. Many of
the country’s major producing fields, such as Mumbai High and fields in Assam, have been in
production for several decades and have passed their plateau production phase. In addition,
geological and operational challenges impact production levels. These include increasing water
cut, which leads to higher water production and reduces oil and gas yield, sand ingress and
limited reservoir influx. Further, subsurface complexities sometimes restrict the effectiveness of
workover operations, new drilling and infill wells, thereby affecting the overall contribution to
production.
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