In 2009, crude oil consumption experienced a noticeable drop by 2.1%
. This drop is the result of two crossed effects : the economic crisis on the one hand and low oil prices which decreased until $40/bl
at the beginning of the year. Demand from OECD countries
(representing 55% of volumes consumed) fell by 4.6%
. Decline was chiefly marked in Europe and Japan (above -8%) where crude oil demand was primarily impacted by economic downturn
. Oil consumption in the USA decreased by 1.6%
. Among developing countries, Asian consumption continued to develop, supported by a high growth in oil demand from China (+7%). In the Middle East, demand for oil clearly was inflected and decreased by 1.5% in 2009 after several years of rapid growth. In Africa, oil consumption shrank by above 4% during the year.