Top 10 Refining Countries: 60% of Global Capacity (2006–2026)
August 2,2026
Key observations
Global refining capacity increased from 88 → 104 Mmbpd (+18%).
Global refinery throughput increased from 77 → 83 Mmbpd (+8%).
Around 40% of global refining capacity is now located in Asia, reflecting the continued shift of global refining investment.
China, India and Russia increased their combined refining capacity from 15 → 31 Mmbpd (+107%), with China contributing +11 Mmbpd of the total increase.
The United States maintained broadly stable refining capacity at around 18 Mmbpd (+1 Mmbpd).
Opportunities
Global: Turnarounds, debottlenecking, automation, maintenance, reliability improvement and brownfield upgrades.
Asia: New refinery capacity, petrochemical integration and large EPC/EPCM programmes.
Mature markets: Refinery modernisation, digitalisation, decarbonisation and asset integrity.
Middle East: Downstream expansion, petrochemical integration and new refining investment.
Methodology
Installed refining capacity (nameplate capacity).
Historical comparison based on approximately 2005–2006 installed refining capacity.
Asia's share (~40%) refers to the entire Asian refining industry, not only the countries shown in the Top 10 ranking.
Values rounded to the nearest 1 Mmbpd.
Historical figures are approximate and compiled from multiple industry sources.
Sources
Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy
International Energy Agency (IEA)
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
OPEC – Annual Statistical Bulletin
Kpler
National refinery operators
Public company disclosures
© Alexei Bykov / REBDUK | www.rebduk.com — Original research and analysis. Feel free to reference or share — we would just appreciate a credit and a link back to the original article
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