1,397m
China · estimated government and commercial stocks
EIA 2025 country-level evidence
Strategic Oil Reserves by Country: China, U.S., Japan and Korea
Compare the EIA's 2025 strategic crude inventory estimates for China, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and other selected economies without hiding definition and date differences.
EIA published 2026-04-20 · reviewed 2026-07-31
DIRECT ANSWER
China is largest in the EIA estimate, but this is not a like-for-like ranking
The EIA's 2025 comparison shows China at 1,397 million barrels, the United States at 413 million, Japan at 263 million, and South Korea at 79 million. China combines estimated government and commercial inventories, while the U.S. and Japan figures focus on government stocks. Ranking the numbers as though their definitions were identical would be misleading.
Definitions and reference dates are not fully aligned. This page preserves the EIA comparison but does not label it a like-for-like world ranking.
413m
United States · government SPR
263m
Japan · government stocks
79m
South Korea · 2025 average
Strategic crude inventories compared by the EIA
Values are in million barrels. Bars compare published size only and do not adjust for different definitions.
#1
China
1,397million barrels
- Coverage
- EIA estimate combining government-held and commercial inventories under its China methodology
- Reference
- December 2025
The EIA estimates roughly 360 million barrels in government-held inventories and about 1 billion barrels in commercial inventories.
#2
United States
413million barrels
- Coverage
- Government-held Strategic Petroleum Reserve
- Reference
- December 2025
The EIA keeps the U.S. SPR separate from more than 400 million barrels of commercial crude inventories.
#3
Japan
263million barrels
- Coverage
- Government-held inventories
- Reference
- December 2025
The figure excludes international joint stockpiles and commercial inventories held under Japanese law.
#4
OECD Europe
179million barrels
- Coverage
- Aggregate government inventories across OECD Europe
- Reference
- December 2025
This is a regional aggregate, not a single country, and must not be ranked as though it were one country.
#5
Saudi Arabia
82million barrels
- Coverage
- Estimated on-land refinery and commercial inventories
- Reference
- December 2025
The EIA says formal strategic status is difficult to determine and excludes Saudi crude reportedly stored abroad.
#6
South Korea
79million barrels
- Coverage
- Strategic oil inventories
- Reference
- 2025 average cited with the December 2025 comparison
The EIA text describes South Korea as averaging 79 million barrels during 2025.
#7
Iran
71million barrels
- Coverage
- Estimated on-land refinery and commercial inventories
- Reference
- December 2025
The estimate excludes Iranian crude reportedly held in bonded storage in China because the volume is unknown.
#8
United Arab Emirates
34million barrels
- Coverage
- Estimated on-land refinery and commercial inventories
- Reference
- December 2025
The estimate excludes underground Fujairah storage and leased storage abroad because the current volumes are unknown.
#9
India
21.4million barrels
- Coverage
- Government strategic reserve reported by ISPRL
- Reference
- March 2025
The figure excludes 3 million barrels stored for ADNOC at Mangalore that the EIA does not count as part of India's SPR.
Why aren't China and the United States directly comparable?
The EIA treats Chinese commercial inventories built under government direction as a second strategic source, so its China estimate combines government and commercial stocks. The U.S. figure covers the SPR and excludes more than 400 million barrels of commercial crude inventories.
China government estimate
360m
China commercial estimate
≈1,000m
U.S. SPR
413m
U.S. commercial stocks (separate)
>400m
Limits the comparison does not hide
- ✓ OECD Europe's 179 million barrels is a regional aggregate, not one country.
- ✓ Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the UAE use estimated on-land refinery and commercial inventories because formal strategic status is difficult to determine.
- ✓ Unknown UAE underground storage and some overseas leased stocks are excluded.
- ✓ India's 21.4 million-barrel figure is from March 2025, earlier than most rows.
- ✓ Inventory volume alone cannot determine days of cover; demand, net imports, release rates, and refinery constraints are also required.
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Frequently asked questions
Which country has the largest strategic oil reserve?
China is largest in the EIA's 2025 comparison at 1,397 million barrels. The estimate combines government and commercial inventories, so it is not directly comparable with government-only figures for the United States and Japan.
How much oil is in the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve?
The EIA chart reports 413 million barrels for December 2025. The article separately says the SPR held about 409 million barrels on April 10, 2026.
How much strategic oil does South Korea hold?
The EIA says South Korea averaged 79 million barrels of strategic oil inventories during 2025.
Can these reserves show how many days a country can last?
Not by themselves. A defensible days-of-cover calculation also needs national demand, net imports, commercial stocks, release rates, and refinery constraints.