Half of U.S. liquid fuels net imports in 2010 came from the Americas

Based on data from the Petroleum Supply Monthly, half of all U.S. net imports (imports minus exports) of liquid fuels in 2010 came from the Americas (North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean). Only about one-fifth of U.S. net imports came from the Middle East. For many years, the top source of U.S. liquid fuels net imports has been Canada, followed by Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Nigeria. With the exception of Canada, the order of these top five sources has varied from year to year.

Net imports have been a key source of supply for U.S. liquid fuels consumption over the years as the chart above indicates. After reaching a trough in the mid-1980s, net imports of liquid fuels generally rose until 2005. More recently, increases in domestic production and declines in consumption both have led to a drop in net imports of liquid fuels. Net imports of liquid fuels represented about half of U.S. liquid fuels consumption in 2010.