← All NewsThe U.S. Energy Information Administration reported on November 3 that global crude oil refinery inputs fell by 4.8 million barrels per day, or 6%, in the second quarter of 2026 before recovering by 1.8 million barrels per day in the third quarter. The analysis uses data from Kpler; it is not a newly released EIA census of every refinery.
EIA links the second-quarter decline to conflict that began in the Middle East in late February. Refinery inputs usually rise in the second and third quarters as maintenance ends and seasonal fuel demand increases. In 2025, global inputs rose by 0.3 million barrels per day in the second quarter and a further 2 million in the third.
China’s inputs fell by 2.1 million barrels per day in the second quarter and another 0.8 million in the third. India, South Korea and Japan together saw a decline of more than 1 million barrels per day in the second quarter before a 0.8 million rebound in the third. These are regional changes, not additional global totals.
In Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Iran, second-quarter inputs fell by 0.7 million, 0.7 million, 0.3 million and 0.2 million barrels per day, respectively. Their combined inputs then rose by 0.4 million in the third quarter. Russia’s inputs fell by 0.6 million in the second quarter and another 0.8 million in the third.
U.S. crude oil refinery inputs rose by 0.5 million barrels per day in each of the second and third quarters, as the country increasingly exported refined products to offset lost supply elsewhere, according to EIA. The two successive quarterly increases sum to 1 million barrels per day; that is a change in a daily processing rate, not a count of total barrels processed.
Despite the third-quarter recovery, global crude oil inputs remained about 5% below the same quarter of 2025. EIA says reduced refining activity contributed to record nominal diesel prices in September. The analysis does not establish the effect on an individual household’s fuel bill, a specific inflation reading or a future Federal Reserve decision.
Energy · November 3, 2026 · 2 min read
EIA says global refinery inputs partly recovered in Q3, still below 2025
By Econ Data Tools Editorial Team
Published November 3, 2026 • Updated November 3, 2026
EIA’s Kpler-based analysis puts Q3 global inputs about 5% below a year earlier. U.S. inputs rose by 0.5 million barrels per day in each of Q2 and Q3.
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