Nigeria's oil production surges to highest level in six years

Nigeria’s crude oil production hit a six-year high in June, as operations continued to stabilize and no major outage incidents occurred, just as the new flare-up in Iran threatens flows through the Strait of Hormuz again.

Nigeria pumped 1.56 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil last month, the largest average monthly production volume since April 2020, according to data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Oil Price reports.

Total crude oil and condensate production rose for the fourth consecutive month to 1.735 million bpd, with the improved performance “primarily driven by stable production operations across most producing assets and the absence of any major pipeline outages during the period under review,” the NUPRC said in a statement.

“This enhanced operational stability supported improved production uptime and crude evacuation efficiency,” the upstream regulator said.

Nigeria produced 104% of its OPEC+ quota of 1.5 million bpd of crude oil in June.

Peak combined crude oil and condensate production was 1.89 million bpd in June, “reflecting Nigeria’s potential to reach 2mbpd in the near term,” the NUPRC said.    

Nigeria has shown sustained growth in its crude and condensate output so far this year. Total oil output rose from 1.48 million bpd in February to 1.735 million bpd in June, according to the figures reported by the NUPRC. 

Nigeria has struggled to pump its quota in recent years as sabotage often led to force majeure at major export streams. 

However, with a recent crackdown on oil theft and sabotage in the Niger Delta, Nigeria has managed to increase crude production and aims for further growth by 2030. 

Nigeria is actively increasing its crude oil production in response to major global supply disruptions caused by the war in Iran, with authorities now aiming to raise output by 100,000 barrels bpd in the immediate term to capture widening supply gaps. 

Nigeria’s state-owned oil and gas company NNPC is set to increase oil production to 2 million bpd over the next two years, its executive vice president for upstream, Udy Ntia, said in November 2025.

By Vafa Guliyeva