Data

Energy imports and exports

What you should know about this indicator

How is this data described by its producer?

Net energy imports are estimated as gross imports less gross exports, both measured in tons of oil equivalents (toe). A negative value indicates that the country is a net exporter. Energy use refers to use of primary energy before transformation to other end-use fuels, which is equal to indigenous production plus imports and stock changes, minus exports and fuels supplied to ships and aircraft engaged in international transport.

Limitations and exceptions:

The IEA makes these estimates in consultation with national statistical offices, oil companies, electric utilities, and national energy experts. The IEA occasionally revises its time series to reflect political changes, and energy statistics undergo continual changes in coverage or methodology as more detailed energy accounts become available. Breaks in series are therefore unavoidable.

Statistical concept and methodology:

Energy data are compiled by the International Energy Agency (IEA). IEA data for economies that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are based on national energy data adjusted to conform to annual questionnaires completed by OECD member governments.

A negative value in energy imports indicates that the country is a net exporter. Energy use refers to use of primary energy before transformation to other end-use fuels, which is equal to indigenous production plus imports and stock changes, minus exports and fuels supplied to ships and aircraft engaged in international transport.

Source
IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2025)processed by Our World in Data
Last updated
September 8, 2025
Next expected update
September 2026
Date range
1990–2023
Unit
% of energy use

What you should know about this indicator

How is this data described by its producer?

Net energy imports are estimated as gross imports less gross exports, both measured in tons of oil equivalents (toe). A negative value indicates that the country is a net exporter. Energy use refers to use of primary energy before transformation to other end-use fuels, which is equal to indigenous production plus imports and stock changes, minus exports and fuels supplied to ships and aircraft engaged in international transport.

Limitations and exceptions:

The IEA makes these estimates in consultation with national statistical offices, oil companies, electric utilities, and national energy experts. The IEA occasionally revises its time series to reflect political changes, and energy statistics undergo continual changes in coverage or methodology as more detailed energy accounts become available. Breaks in series are therefore unavoidable.

Statistical concept and methodology:

Energy data are compiled by the International Energy Agency (IEA). IEA data for economies that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are based on national energy data adjusted to conform to annual questionnaires completed by OECD member governments.

A negative value in energy imports indicates that the country is a net exporter. Energy use refers to use of primary energy before transformation to other end-use fuels, which is equal to indigenous production plus imports and stock changes, minus exports and fuels supplied to ships and aircraft engaged in international transport.

Source
IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2025)processed by Our World in Data
Last updated
September 8, 2025
Next expected update
September 2026
Date range
1990–2023
Unit
% of energy use

Sources and processing

This data is based on the following sources

IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank – World Development Indicators

The World Development Indicators (WDI) is the primary World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially-recognized international sources. It presents the most current and accurate global development data available, and includes national, regional and global estimates.

Retrieved on
September 8, 2025
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA), uri: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser, publisher: International Energy Agency (IEA), date accessed: 2025-03-25. Indicator EG.IMP.CONS.ZS (https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.IMP.CONS.ZS). World Development Indicators - World Bank (2025). Accessed on 2025-09-08.

The World Development Indicators (WDI) is the primary World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially-recognized international sources. It presents the most current and accurate global development data available, and includes national, regional and global estimates.

Retrieved on
September 8, 2025
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA), uri: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser, publisher: International Energy Agency (IEA), date accessed: 2025-03-25. Indicator EG.IMP.CONS.ZS (https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.IMP.CONS.ZS). World Development Indicators - World Bank (2025). Accessed on 2025-09-08.

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At the link below you can find a detailed description of the structure of our data pipeline, including links to all the code used to prepare data across Our World in Data.

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Citations

How to cite this page

To cite this page overall, including any descriptions, FAQs or explanations of the data authored by Our World in Data, please use the following citation:

“Data Page: Energy imports and exports”. Our World in Data (2025). Data adapted from IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank. Retrieved from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20251220-152415/grapher/energy-imports-and-exports-energy-use.html [online resource] (archived on December 20, 2025).

How to cite this data

In-line citationIf you have limited space (e.g. in data visualizations), you can use this abbreviated in-line citation:

IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2025) – processed by Our World in Data

Full citation

IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. “Energy imports and exports” [dataset]. IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank, “World Development Indicators 122” [original data]. Retrieved December 25, 2025 from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20251220-152415/grapher/energy-imports-and-exports-energy-use.html (archived on December 20, 2025).