OPEC oil price annually 1960-2023

The 2022 annual average OPEC oil price stood at 100.08 U.S. dollars per barrel. This is up from 69.89 U.S. dollars the previous year and comes in the wake of an energy supply shortage and sanctions on Russia following the Russia-Ukraine war. The abbreviation OPEC stands for Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and as of March 2023 it includes Algeria, Angola, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and the United Arab Emirates. The aim of the OPEC is to coordinate the oil policies of its member states. It was founded in 1960 in Baghdad, Iraq.

The OPEC Reference Basket

The OPEC crude oil price is defined by the price of the so-called OPEC (Reference) basket. This basket is an average of prices of the various petroleum blends that are produced by the OPEC members. Some of these oil blends are, for example: Saharan Blend from Algeria, Basra Light from Iraq, Arab Light from Saudi Arabia, BCF 17 from Venezuela, et cetera. By increasing and decreasing its oil production, OPEC tries to keep the price between given maxima and minima.

Benchmark crude oil

The OPEC basket is one of the most important benchmarks for crude oil prices worldwide. Other significant benchmarks are UK Brent, West Texas Intermediate (WTI), and Dubai Crude (Fateh). Because there are many types and grades of oil, such benchmarks are indispensable for referencing them on the global oil market. The 2020 fall in prices was the result of a significant decline in transportation fuel demand and weakened economic prospects during the coronavirus pandemic.