From January to August 2026, Germany imported 49.1 million tonnes of crude oil, valued at 30.0 billion euros. This contrasts with the previous year (2025), when imports totaled 49.4 million tonnes, valued at 24.6 billion euros, according to statistics released by the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Tuesday. While the volume of imports decreased by 0.6 percent year-on-year, the value increased sharply by 21.7 percent, a rise attributed to escalating global oil prices stemming from Middle East conflicts.
Examining the trends within 2026, the average price per tonne settled at 607 euros in August. The sharp rise began in March 2026, the month following the start of the Iran conflict, when the average price jumped from 460 euros in February to 616 euros. Following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in April 2026, the average price continued to climb to 757 euros per tonne. The peak for 2026 was recorded in May at 768 euros, although this remained below the all-time high of 798 euros set in June 2022. The rates moderated in June and July 2026, falling to 657 and 578 euros per tonne, respectively.
Across the first eight months of 2026, the average cost per tonne was 610 euros. This figure was significantly lower than the annual average price for 2022, which stood at 686 euros. Even in earlier years, the prices in 2012 and 2013-during tensions over Iran’s nuclear program-were higher, averaging 644 and 613 euros per tonne, respectively.
Regarding supply sources, the most important suppliers for Germany during January-August 2026 were the United States, Norway, and Kazakhstan. These three countries accounted for 52.2 percent of all crude oil imports during the first eight months. Specifically, the US supplied 10.8 million tonnes, followed by Norway (8.0 million tonnes) and Kazakhstan (6.8 million tonnes).
Looking at the full year of 2025, the US remained the top supplier, contributing 12.4 million tonnes, closely followed by Norway (also around 12.4 million tonnes) and Kazakhstan (10.3 million tonnes).
The supply dynamics have shifted dramatically over the past few years. In 2023 and 2024, Norway was the primary supplier, followed by the US and Kazakhstan. Before the sanctions implemented against the Russian Federation in 2022, Russia was the dominant supplier, contributing 22.8 million tonnes. This amount was nearly double the volume supplied by the next largest sources, Norway (12.2 million tonnes) and the US (12.1 million tonnes). However, Russian imports plummeted thereafter: only 0.1 million tonnes arrived in 2023 and just 0.02 million tonnes in 2024. These remaining volumes represented crude oil imported into the EU before the Ukraine invasion and subsequently delivered to Germany through other EU states. As of 2025, no crude oil imports from Russia have been recorded for Germany.
