India’s crude oil imports from the United States surged more than 50% in the first half (H1) of 2025. However, Russia retained its position as the country’s largest crude supplier.
According to S&P Global Commodity Insights, India imported nearly 271,000 barrels a day (b/d) of crude oil from the US in the January-June 2025 period, a 51% increase from 180,000 b/d during the same period last year. Meanwhile, Russia remained India’s top crude supplier during H1 of 2025, with shipments averaging 1.67 million b/d – marginally up from 1.66 million b/d a year earlier.
“Crude supplies from the US have been rising but limited to a few refiners in India. This allows room for other refiners to grow US imports further during the year,” said Abhishek Ranjan, South Asia oil research lead at S&P Global Commodity Insights.
India imports about 88% of its crude oil requirements. Since early 2022, when Western countries imposed sanctions on Russian energy exports following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, India has capitalised on discounted Russian crude, turning it into a cornerstone of its import strategy. Meanwhile, volumes of US crude had declined over the past two to three years, as Indian refiners prioritised Russian crude due to discount. India’s demand for US crude is showing signs of revival after