Nigeria’s crude oil output holds above 1.5mbpd for third consecutive month, says OPEC 

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has revealed that Nigeria’s crude oil production remained above 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) for the third consecutive month in July 2026 despite a decline from the previous month.

OPEC in its latest Monthly Oil Market Report revealed that Nigeria’s crude oil output fell to 1.505 million bpd in July from 1.555 million bpd in June.

Despite the monthly decline, production remained above the 1.5 million bpd mark, extending a run that began in May and keeping Nigeria among Africa’s leading crude oil producers.

According to OPEC data, Nigeria’s Q2 2026 average production stood at 1.525 million bpd, up from 1.388 million bpd in Q1 2026.

Production averaged 1.415 million bpd in Q4 2025 and 1.432 million bpd for the whole of 2025.

Nigeria’s average production was 1.345 million bpd in 2024.

OPEC data showed Nigeria producing more crude than Libya, which recorded 1.391 million bpd, and Algeria at 995,000 bpd in July. OPEC did not provide data for Congo and Gabon.

The July figure represents a decline of 50,000 bpd from June, but production remained significantly above the levels recorded in the first quarter of 2026.

Nigeria’s average daily crude oil production increased to 1.530 million bpd in May 2026, marking the first time in 2026 that the country returned above its OPEC production quota since mid-2025.

The May increase marked a significant improvement from the 1.388 million bpd average recorded in the first quarter of the year.

Nigeria’s stronger output also came despite broader production declines among members of the Declaration of Cooperation (DoC), according to OPEC.

The sustained improvement has reinforced Nigeria’s position as Africa’s largest crude oil producer.

The increase in crude oil production has coincided with higher domestic crude supplies to local refineries as Nigeria continues efforts to strengthen its refining and energy supply chain.

Domestic crude oil and condensate supply to local refineries reached 97.4% in the second quarter of 2026.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) said 53.7 million barrels were supplied to local refiners between April and June

The country also had 215.19 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas reserves as of the same date.