# When will the World's Oil supply run out?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-the-worlds-oil-supply-run-out/24738>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 6, 2000, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-the-worlds-oil-supply-run-out/24738 "2000-07-06T09:29:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![jamshid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecd19e/32.png) [@jamshid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jamshid)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2000, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-the-worlds-oil-supply-run-out/24738/21 "2000-07-08T03:47:12Z")

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So, to recap:

The world’s oil supply will run out sometime between 15 years from now and never. Glad we got that cleared up.

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**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2000, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-the-worlds-oil-supply-run-out/24738/22 "2000-07-08T14:11:17Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by jamshid \*  
> \*\*So, to recap:
> 
> The world’s oil supply will run out sometime between 15 years from now and never. Glad we got that cleared up. \*\*

Well, some questions just can’t be answered easily or with much accuracy. This is why every time the TV (which never lies) says a number of “X years” for oil supply, you can stop listening at that point, go outside, and look at the stars.

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**Author:** ![lswote](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lswote/32/5737_2.png) [@lswote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lswote)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2000, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-the-worlds-oil-supply-run-out/24738/23 "2000-07-08T17:25:45Z")

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Well according to the [OPEC faq](http://www.opec.org/faqs.htm), in 1996 there were [1,047,200 million barrels of proven crude oil reserves](http://www.opec.org/faqs.htm#b1), of which 76.6 per cent was in OPEC Member Countries. It also said the total world consumption of crude oil in 1996 was [71.7 million barrels per day](http://www.opec.org/faqs.htm#b2) (there are 42 US gallons in a barrel, or 159 litres).

The faq says OPEC’s oil reserves are sufficient to last [another 80 years](http://www.opec.org/faqs.htm#b7) at the current rate of production.

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**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2000, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-the-worlds-oil-supply-run-out/24738/24 "2000-07-08T17:28:46Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Anthracite \*  
> \*\*This is why every time the TV (which never lies) says a number of “X years” for oil supply, you can stop listening at that point, go outside, and look at the stars. \*\*

Every deep discussion should have a little Walt Whitman in it. Thanks, **Anthracite**.

[/hijack]

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