Venezuelan oil exports to US top two-year total

Venezuelan oil exports to the US reached 136.7 million barrels so far this year, surpassing the total shipped during 2024 and 2025, according to the newspaper El Nacional, citing preliminary reports from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

In the week ending October 23, shipments totaled 4.3 million barrels (about 618,000 barrels per day), a rise of 8% from the previous period and the best reading in three weeks, according to information published by El Nacional.

This increase in crude sales reflects the easing of sanctions and agreements with energy sector companies, once again making the US the main buyer of national output, which according to records published by the paper has averaged 464,000 barrels per day since January, a 236% increase over the same period in 2025.

This rebound in the oil sector comes alongside International Monetary Fund (IMF) projections for growth in Venezuela's real gross domestic product (GDP), which estimate an increase of 4.0% for 2026 and 6.0% for 2027, after previous rates of 4.0% in 2023, 5.3% in 2024 and 1.5% in 2025.

The four-week average stood at 567,000 barrels per day, up 3%, marking 27 consecutive weeks in which Venezuela has been the second-largest crude supplier to the US market, behind Saudi Arabia, the outlet said.