South American nation Venezuela tops the list, followed closely by Saudi Arabia.And, CANADA, the Saudi Arabia of North America comes in at number 3Think I'm kidding with the comparison. Certainly, I am not! Canada is Saudi Arabia in more ways then just oil inventory. Bad governance. Largely impoverished populace thanks to plunder by elites within and outside of the country.Just like Saudi Arabia Canada’s populace gets no benefit from the nations resource wealth.Unlike Norway. Or Libya did, until NATO’s destruction and plunder of that nation.Sadly most Canadians are unaware of how we are being stolen from. But then our leaders like it just that way!Here are the top countries with the biggest proven oil reserves, as reported by EIA.
1. VenezuelaProven oil reserves in 2013 (billion barrels): 297.6Total oil supply in 2012 (thousand barrels per day): 2,489.2Venezuela surpassed Saudi Arabia last year to become the holder of the largest oil reserves in the world. However, annual oil production of the OPEC supplier is considerably less than the Kingdom.
2. Saudi ArabiaProven oil reserves (billion barrels): 267.91Total oil supply in 2012 (thousand barrels per day): 11,545.7Saudi Arabia has almost one-fifth of the world’s proven oil reserves and ranks as the largest producer and exporter of oil in the world.
3. CanadaProven oil reserves: 173.105Total oil supply in 2012 (thousand barrels per day): 3,854.4Canada’s oil sands are a significant contributor to the recent growth in the world’s liquid fuel supply and comprise the vast majority of the country’s proven oil reserves.
4. IranProven oil reserves: 154.58Total oil supply in 2012 (thousand barrels per day): 3,538.4International sanctions have drastically impacted Iran’s energy sector – the country’s oil production fell dramatically in 2012, from over 35 million barrels per day in 2011 to just over 3.5 million bpd in 2012.
5. IraqProven oil reserves: 141.35Total oil supply in 2012 (thousand barrels per day): 2,986.6Despite having large proven oil reserves, increases in oil production have fallen behind ambitious targets because of infrastructure constraints and political disputes, says EIA.
6. KuwaitProven oil reserves: 104Total oil supply in 2012 (thousand barrels per day): 2,796.8Kuwait boasts the second largest oil reserves in the GCC, behind Saudi Arabia and is also among the world’s top 10 largest exporters of total oil products.
7. United Arab EmiratesProven oil reserves: 97.8Total oil supply in 2012 (thousand barrels per day): 3,213.2Enhanced oil recovery techniques continue to underpin strong crude oil production totals and are an important strategy for extending the life of the country’s aging oil fields, states EIA.
8. RussiaProven oil reserves: 80Total oil supply in 2012 (thousand barrels per day): 10,397Russia, which also holds the world’s largest natural gas reserves and the second-largest coal reserves, is the second biggest oil supplier in the world after Saudi Arabia.
9. LibyaProven oil reserves: 48.01Total oil supply in 2012 (thousand barrels per day): 1,483The holder of Africa’s largest proven oil reserves, Libya saw a disruption in oil production in 2011 due to conflict, but the country has recovered, and subsequently, has begun to increase supplies.
10. NigeriaProven oil reserves: 37.2Total oil supply in 2012 (thousand barrels per day): 2,524.1Nigeria’s hydrocarbon resources are the mainstay of the country’s economy, but EIA states that development of the sector is often constrained by instability in the Niger Delta.
Please don't miss this earlier post!