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OPEC Countries 2024

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC as it is commonly known, is an intergovernmental organization made up of thirteen oil-producing countries which were estimated in 2018 to supply approximately 44% of the worldโ€™s oil and possess more than 81.5% of the worldโ€™s oil reserves. Through its policies, OPEC aims to maintain stability in the global petroleum market, provide a reliable supply of oil to consumers, and manage prices to maintain a steady income for the oil producers and a fair return for investors.

OPEC was originally formed in 1960 in Baghdad by five founding members: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia (OPEC's de facto leader), and Venezuela. The organization's purpose was to coordinate the actions of its member states in order to stabilize the petroleum production pipeline and reclaim control of global oil prices from large corporations such as Standard Oil of New York, Gulf Oil, and Texaco (ancestors of modern oil companies such as Chevron, BP, ExxonMobil, and Shell). OPEC's original headquarters were located in Geneva, Switzerland, but were moved in 1965 to Vienna, Austria. As of 2022, OPEC has 13 member countries. Seven are located in Africa, five in the Middle East, and one in South America.

OPEC member countries 2022:

Algeria ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฟEquatorial Guinea ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ถGabon ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฆIran ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ทIraq ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ถKuwait ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ผLibya ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡พNigeria ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฌRepublic of the Congo ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฌSaudi Arabia ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆUnited Arab Emirates ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ชVenezuela ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ช

Former OPEC members

Although rare, there have been instances of countries suspending or terminating their membership in OPEC. The reasons behind these departures tend to relate to production quotas, in which OPEC's member states agree to limit or boost their oil production to agreed-upon amounts in order to leverage supply and demand and thereby control oil prices. Ecuador felt the membership fees were too high and the production quotas were too restrictive. Gabon voiced similar concerns during its hiatus from OPEC, though it later returned to the organization. Indonesia, on the other hand, departed initially because it could not produce enough oil to meet its quota, then rejoined, but left again because the quota had become too limiting. Qatar is said to have left because its energy sector was transitioning to focus upon natural gas rather than oilโ€”though analysts also point to friction between Qatar and other OPEC members, particularly the organization's informal leader, Saudi Arabia.

  • Ecuador โ€” Suspended its membership in December 1992, reactivated in October 2007, withdrew again on 01 January 2020
  • Indonesia โ€” Suspended its membership in Jan. 2009, reactivated Jan. 2016, suspended again 30 Nov. 2016
  • Gabon (current member) โ€” Terminated its membership Jan. 1995, rejoined July 2016
  • Qatar โ€” Terminated its membership 01 January 2019

Criticisms of OPEC's actions

Individual OPEC members are occasionally criticized for acting antagonistically toward one another rather than cooperatingโ€”most notably with Iraq's military invasion of fellow OPEC member Kuwait in 1990โ€”and member states are known to often disagree on production quotas. The actions of the organization as a whole have also drawn criticism at times.

One of OPEC's most controversial actions took place in 2022 during the Russo-Ukrainian war. Many countries around the world had boycotted Russian oil in protest over the country's invasion of Ukraine, causing analysts to predict a global shortage of non-Russian oil. Despite these projections, OPEC chose to reduce production instead of increasing it. This move was seen by some as a craven effort to raise oil prices and by others as a clear attempt to force countries to remove their embargoes and purchase Russian oil, thereby assisting Russia's effort to fund the war. OPEC has adamantly maintained that politics do not factor into its decision-making.

OPEC+ and the future of OPEC

In recent years, OPEC has begun making agreements with not just its own member states, but with a group of 10-11 non-OPEC oil-producing countries including Russia, which wields strong political power within the group. This unofficial coalition is typically referred to as OPEC+ by writers and analysts, and even by OPEC members themselves.

OPEC+ member countries (excluding existing OPEC members):

Azerbaijan ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟBahrain ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ญBrunei ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ณKazakhstan ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟMalaysia ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡พMexico ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝOman ๐Ÿ‡ด๐Ÿ‡ฒPhilippines ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญRussia ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บSouth Sudan ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ธSudan ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฉ

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Country
OPEC Member Status
Year Joined
Continent
Notes
AlgeriaFull1969Africa
AngolaLapsed2007Africa
Azerbaijanunofficial (OPEC+)Asia
Bahrainunofficial (OPEC+)Asia
Bruneiunofficial (OPEC+)Asia
EcuadorLapsed1973South America
Left 1992, reactivated 2007, left 2020
Equatorial GuineaFull2017Africa
GabonFull1975Africa
IndonesiaLapsed1962Asia
Left 2009, reactivated Jan. 2016, left Nov. 2016
IranOriginal/Founding1960Asia
IraqOriginal/Founding1960Asia
Kazakhstanunofficial (OPEC+)Asia
KuwaitOriginal/Founding1960Asia
LibyaFull1962Africa
Malaysiaunofficial (OPEC+)Asia
Mexicounofficial (OPEC+)North America
NigeriaFull1971Africa
Omanunofficial (OPEC+)Asia
Philippinesunofficial (OPEC+)Asia
Considered OPEC+ in some instances, but not others
QatarLapsed1961Asia
Left 2019
Republic of the CongoFull2018Africa
Russiaunofficial (OPEC+)AsiaEurope
Saudi ArabiaOriginal/Founding1960Asia
South Sudanunofficial (OPEC+)Africa
Sudanunofficial (OPEC+)Africa
United Arab EmiratesFull1967Asia
Joined as Abu Dhabi in 1967, switched to United Arab Emirates in 1971.
VenezuelaOriginal/Founding1960South America
showing: 27 rows

Which countries are left in OPEC?

OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, comprises 13 countries, including Algeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Libya, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources