# What % of Oil does US actually get from Iraq? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 19, 2003, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-oil-does-us-actually-get-from-iraq/162480 "2003-03-19T05:47:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![moc.liamtoh\_rorrim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@moc.liamtoh\_rorrim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moc.liamtoh_rorrim)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-oil-does-us-actually-get-from-iraq/162480/1 "2003-03-19T05:47:56Z")
can anyone tell me exactly what percantage of Oil US gets from Iraq? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Calculus\_of\_Logic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@The\_Calculus\_of\_Logic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Calculus_of_Logic)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-oil-does-us-actually-get-from-iraq/162480/2 "2003-03-19T05:53:59Z")
8.5% in 2001 according to this article [http://www.evworld.com/databases/shownews.cfm?pageid=news180402-04](http://www.evworld.com/databases/shownews.cfm?pageid=news180402-04) 6% according to this site [http://www.opinioneditorials.com/contributors/allen\_20030103.html](http://www.opinioneditorials.com/contributors/allen_20030103.html) 9% according to this site [http://www.cis.state.mi.us/mpsc/reports/energy/02summer/oilimports.htm](http://www.cis.state.mi.us/mpsc/reports/energy/02summer/oilimports.htm) ---
**Author:** ![saintnobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@saintnobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saintnobody)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-oil-does-us-actually-get-from-iraq/162480/3 "2003-03-20T02:06:09Z")
I heard recently on the radio that Iraqi oil( at least the oil from the oil for food program) goes into a large international pool and is sold to everyone and anyone. I am not disputing the other response, its more than likely more the truth. Just adding what I had heard. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-oil-does-us-actually-get-from-iraq/162480/4 "2003-03-20T15:58:16Z")
“goes into a large international pool” Yep, they refer to it as an ‘oil pool’. You can search the net for that. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-oil-does-us-actually-get-from-iraq/162480/5 "2003-03-20T16:57:58Z")
In sheer numbers, not percentages, last year the U.S. was importing just short of 800,000 barrels of Iraqi oil a day. In the month of December, according to an article in Forbes, that number went up to 925,000 barrels a day. If you do a Google search of “Iraq oil imports” you will find a variety of sights that will support these numbers. The U.S. is the second largest customer of Iraqi oil. ---
**Author:** ![InLikeFlynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f19dbf/32.png) [@InLikeFlynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InLikeFlynn)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-oil-does-us-actually-get-from-iraq/162480/6 "2003-03-20T17:16:03Z")
I see all of the conflicting links but, MSNBC estimated that a mere 17% of USA oil comes from Iraq._(Ashleigh Banfield told me so)_ The majority is imported from Argentina. I’m sure these numbers have changed due to the oil workers strike taking place in Argentina and that little skirmish going on in the Middle East. ---
**Author:** ![InLikeFlynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f19dbf/32.png) [@InLikeFlynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InLikeFlynn)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-oil-does-us-actually-get-from-iraq/162480/7 "2003-03-20T17:19:53Z")
Propaganda perhaps?? ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-oil-does-us-actually-get-from-iraq/162480/8 "2003-03-20T17:35:40Z")
saintnobody is correct. The percentage the US gets from any particular country is largely irrelevant, as oil is an internationally traded commodity. If Iraq were to totally cease oil production, people in the US would simply attempt to buy it somewhere else. What _is_ relevant is what percentage Iraq has of total world oil production, and that’s about 4%. [http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/pdf/appd1\_d6.pdf](http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/pdf/appd1_d6.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![House](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/90db22/32.png) [@House](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/House)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-oil-does-us-actually-get-from-iraq/162480/9 "2003-03-20T19:19:44Z")
CBS news said we get about 3%. Depends on who you listen to, i guess. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Ash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@Mr.Ash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Ash)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-oil-does-us-actually-get-from-iraq/162480/10 "2003-03-21T00:55:31Z")
Based on the transactional records at the DOE (for 2002), it looks like the top imports were from: Saudi Arabia (16%) Mexico (16%) Canada (15%) Venezuela (15%) Nigeria (6%) Iraq (5%) Just looking at crude oil. ---
**Author:** ![starfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@starfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starfish)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-oil-does-us-actually-get-from-iraq/162480/11 "2003-03-21T04:38:41Z")
Some of these sites are reporting in terms of % of imported oil, others are reporting in terms of % of total US oil consuption. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-oil-does-us-actually-get-from-iraq/162480/12 "2003-03-21T07:05:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wumpus \* > What _is_ relevant is what percentage Iraq has of total world oil production, and that’s about 4%. > > [http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/pdf/appd1\_d6.pdf](http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/pdf/appd1_d6.pdf) Hmm, I can’t open the PDF at the moment because I don’t have acrobat on this machine, but [this](http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/txt/mer11-1a) table shows Iraq’s portion of the world oil production is more like 8.7%. Are you sure you didn’t count OPEC twice? I ask because the document I cite has OPEC listed as a seperate column in addition to splitting out the individual nations, and if you (erroneously) tally it up with the OPEC column included, Iraq’s share comes out to 4%. [This document](http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html) indicates that Iraq supplies 8.9% of our imported crude oil (Saudi Arabia is our biggest supplier, at 18%). [note: I was using the 2001 numbers supplied, because that’s the last year there was a whole year’s worth of data available] ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-oil-does-us-actually-get-from-iraq/162480/13 "2003-03-21T16:25:36Z")
**ntucker** , your table is only for OPEC countries. So Iraq produces 8.7% of OPEC oil production. **Wumpus’** PDF includes all countries, and OPEC only makes up 40% of the world’s supply. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-oil-does-us-actually-get-from-iraq/162480/14 "2003-03-21T16:54:53Z")
doh, so maybe I _should_ have counted OPEC twice. 🙂 Thanks for the correction.