Iraq’s Impact On Global Oil In Four Easy Charts

International Business Times

Published Jun 17, 2014 01:26PM ET

Iraq’s Impact On Global Oil In Four Easy Charts

By Meagan Clark - In less than a week, al Qaeda splinter group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has seized several key cities in the north and center of Iraq, the world’s seventh-largest oil-producing country, causing Iraq’s largest oil refinery to shut down Tuesday and bumping up international oil prices as traders fear the escalating violence could inhibit oil production.

Energy industry watchdogs have expected Iraq to expand its oil production considerably in the next decade, which would help keep global oil prices stable and meet rising global oil demand, particularly in China. To show the impact that Iraqi oil production has in the global market, here are four charts from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, based on data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Since IEA’s forecasts were made before ISIS claimed control in the north, they are likely to be revised down if ISIS is not contained soon.