Top 8 Countries Most Dependent on Middle Eastern Oil
Dependency on Middle Eastern oil presents economic opportunities but creates strategic vulnerabilities. While East Asian nations heavily rely on these imports, North America and Europe maintain lower dependency through diversification.
Oil continues to be the foundation of the global economy as it drives the transport sector, the industrial sector and economic development all over the world. While a number of countries depend on imported crude oil from many different areas of the world, a small number of countries are very much still dependent upon receiving their crude oil from the Middle East which is home to some of the biggest proven reserves on Earth.
The dependence upon oil from the Middle East presents both an opportunity from an economic point of view as well as a potential strategic vulnerability, due to the possibility for geopolitical tension, disruptions in supply and fluctuations in price that can severely impact long-term energy security. This article provides a ranking of the eight countries that are most dependent on oil from the Middle East and illustrates the extent of their dependence on this essential source of energy.
Top 8 Countries Most Dependent on Middle Eastern Oil
Here are the top 8 Countries which are most dependent on Middle Eastern Oil Resources:
| Rank | Country | Imports from the Middle East as a Share of Oil Consumption |
| 1 | Eritrea | 91% |
| 2 | Madagascar | 89% |
| 3 | Pakistan | 78% |
| 4 | Japan | 77% |
| 5 | Kenya | 77% |
| 6 | Taiwan | 63% |
| 7 | South Korea | 57% |
| 8 | South Africa | 54% |
Why Is East Asia Heavily Dependent on Middle Eastern Oil?
The East Asian dependence on Middle Eastern oil is due to the mix of limited domestic resources for energy, high levels of energy consumption and usage, and the Middle East being the world's primary source for oil.
Limited domestic production of crude oil: Countries like South Korea, Japan and Taiwan produce almost no crude oil in their own country, so they need to purchase it from somewhere else to satisfy their energy requirements.
Large scale industrial states and economies: East Asia has many of the world's largest manufacturing centres which are responsible for producing items that require massive amounts of oil, such as steel, petrochemicals, transportation equipment and heavy machinery.
Oil Export quantity-capacity of Middle Eastern countries: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates have some of the largest reserves of crude oil in the world, they are natural trade partners for Asian importers because they are able to produce substantial volumes of inexpensive crude oil.
Long-standing Trade Routes and Infrastructure: Decades of investment in shipping routes to Asia, oil refineries in Asia and long-term contracts for the supply of crude oil have contributed to the strengthening of the energy trade relationships between East Asian countries and Middle Eastern oil producers.
Rapid economic expansion of China and India: Rapidly expanding economies in both China and India have created tremendous increases in the need for energy consumption through importing and use of crude oil due to growth from the past two decades, despite the efforts of both countries to diversify their sources of energy.
Why Are Europe and North America Least Dependent on Middle Eastern Oil?
As a result of their better access to alternative energy options, domestic oil production, and diverse importing schemes, Europe and North America typically use less oil from the Middle East than do developing nations around the globe.
Because both the United States (US) and Canada are major producers of oil, North America has a very strong domestic production base. In addition to having large amounts of proven oil, the shale boom in the United States greatly increased the US domestic production of crude oil and allowed for a reduction in imports from the Middle East. Canada has some of the largest proven reserves throughout the world.
As North American nations heavily trade within their region with one another, especially with respect to crude oil, US refineries have substantial volumes of Canadian and domestic crude processed at their locations, thereby reducing foreign reliance for crude oil from distant suppliers.
The European nations that import crude oil utilize a broad diversity of crude suppliers such as Norway, Kazakhstan, the United States, numerous African nations, and, historically, Russia. This improved diversity allows for reduced dependency upon any one particular region of the world.
Many of the European nations have invested substantially into alternative energy forms such as renewable energy, nuclear energy, and improving energy efficiency. The result is that these newer forms of energy have helped reduce the demand for oil based on economic growth.
Both North America and Europe had an extensive history of developing strategies to reduce exposure to supply interruption risks through maintaining strategic petroleum stockpiles and diversifying their supply base.
Ayukta Zisha is an education journalist with over three years of experience in digital media. A graduate of St. Xavier’s College, she holds a Master’s degree in English along with a certification in Digital Marketing from IIT Delhi. Backed by a strong academic foundation in the humanities, she specializes in creating educational and general knowledge content across history, geography, literature, and current affairs. During her tenure at Jagran Josh, she worked extensively on U.S. news and global developments, curating informative and engaging content for a diverse readership. Her subject expertise and ability to simplify complex topics enable her to make complex information accessible to a wide audience. Beyond journalism, Ayukta is an avid reader and a published author.
