Latin America takes a hit
The region’s oil output continues to fall and recovery won’t be swift
Traders seeking signs of a market recovery have spent the past 18 months scouring US data, focused on shale. They should spend time looking further south as well. Outside the US, Latin America's oil production has been the hardest hit of any region. Petroleum Economist analysis shows crude output from the region's major producers has dropped in the last year and a half by about 0.7m barrels a day, or almost 7%. In June, it amounted to just 9.09m b/d. It is a marked turnaround for a region that just a couple of years ago was expected to suck in investment and be a major contributor to global oil output growth. The national oil companies that dominate Latin American production are largely to b
Also in this section
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution






