UAE, one of the oil market’s heavyweight players, stepped out of OPEC and questions are rising over what the move could mean for the group’s energy production.The United Arab Emirates’ departure from OPEC has already trimmed the group’s share of global crude oil output and production capacity, according to data released by the US Energy Information Administration.The report said that OPEC, including the UAE, produced an estimated 28.0 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil in 2025, accounting for 35% of total global production. Without the UAE’s contribution, that share would have fallen further to 31%.“Without the UAE’s contribution, the group’s share of world total crude oil production would have been 31% in 2025,” the report noted.On a wider scale, the OPEC+ alliance accounted for about 46% of global crude oil production in 2025. Excluding the UAE, that figure would have eased to around 42%, highlighting the country’s meaningful role in the bloc’s overall output balance.Saudi Arabia remained the largest and most influential member of OPEC. In 2025, it was the world’s second-largest oil producer, with output of 9.3 million b/d and an estimated production capacity of 11.6 million b/d.The UAE announced its decision to leave OPEC on April 28, 2026, with the exit taking effect from May 1. OPEC was formed in 1960 by Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela to coordinate petroleum policies among member countries and remains one of the most influential groups in the global oil market.The UAE joined OPEC as the emirate of Abu Dhabi in 1967 and, as of 2025, held the third-largest crude oil production capacity within the group after Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The country produced an average of 3.4 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil and had an estimated effective production capacity of 4.2 million b/d in 2025.The report also highlighted the impact of the conflict in Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has significantly disrupted oil production and exports across the region.According to EIA estimates, crude oil production disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz closure could rise from 8.89 million b/d in March 2026 to 10.52 million b/d in April and 11.25 million b/d in May.Iraq is estimated to face production shut-ins of 3.19 million b/d in May 2026, while Saudi Arabia could see disruptions of 3.29 million b/d. Kuwait may witness shut-ins of 1.98 million b/d and the UAE 1.35 million b/d during the same period.The report noted that the UAE and Saudi Arabia were the only regional OPEC countries able to reroute crude oil exports around the Strait of Hormuz following the disruption.
