Nigeria’s average daily crude oil production increased to 1.53 million barrels per day (bpd) in May 2026, marking its highest output level in nearly a year and strengthening the country’s position among Africa’s leading oil producers.
The latest figures, contained in the monthly report of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), showed that Nigeria produced 1.530 million bpd in May, compared with 1.489 million bpd recorded in April, representing an increase of 41,000 bpd or approximately 2.8 percent month-on-month.
The production growth comes as Nigeria continues efforts to improve upstream operations, tackle crude theft and restore output from key producing assets.
According to the report, Nigeria’s May production level exceeded its assigned OPEC quota, making it the first time the country has moved above its production target since mid-2025.
The report also indicated that Nigeria recorded one of the strongest performances among members of the Declaration of Cooperation (DoC), even as overall group output declined during the month. Total DoC crude production averaged 33.13 million bpd in May, down by about 190,000 bpd from the previous month.
OPEC’s production estimates are compiled using secondary sources, including industry intelligence platforms and market monitoring agencies, alongside data supplied by member countries.
The latest increase reinforces Nigeria’s standing as Africa’s largest crude oil producer, ahead of countries such as Libya, which produced 1.30 million bpd during the period, Algeria at 982,000 bpd, Republic of the Congo at 283,000 bpd and Gabon at 210,000 bpd.
Nigeria has struggled in recent years to consistently meet its production targets due to pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, underinvestment and operational disruptions across parts of the Niger Delta.
However, recent security interventions and renewed investment activities in the upstream sector have contributed to a gradual recovery in production levels.
The May output figure also surpassed the 1.507 million bpd recorded in July 2025, which had previously been Nigeria’s strongest monthly performance in recent times.
Higher crude production is expected to support government revenue generation and foreign exchange earnings, particularly at a time when public finances remain heavily dependent on oil receipts.
Despite the improvement, Nigeria remains below the Federal Government’s longer-term production aspiration of 2.6 million bpd. For fiscal planning purposes, however, authorities adopted a more conservative benchmark of 1.8 million bpd in the 2026 budget.
The production increase follows earlier disclosures by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission that national crude output had reached about 1.84 million bpd in March when condensate volumes were included.
Industry analysts say sustaining the current momentum will depend on continued improvements in asset security, infrastructure reliability and investment inflows, as well as efforts to curb production losses linked to theft and pipeline disruptions.
The latest OPEC figures suggest that Nigeria’s oil sector is gradually recovering, although production remains below levels required to fully maximise the country's hydrocarbon potential and revenue objectives.