Nigeria recorded one of the strongest month-on-month production gains among Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries members in November 2025, pumping 1.436 million barrels per day, up from 1.401 mbpd in October, according to the December 2025 OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report.
The figures, drawn from direct communication between member countries and the organisation, show that Nigeria added 35,000 bpd in November, its most significant rise in recent months.
However, this is still below the country’s allotted quota of 1.5 mbpd, even as the country continues efforts to restore output toward the target. The increase underscores gradual improvements in upstream security and project optimisation across major producing terminals.
This will be the fourth consecutive month Nigeria has failed to meet its assigned quota, the last time being in July 2025.
Oil production, which fell sharply in August and September due to maintenance downtime and industrial action, appreciated slightly again in October and November, showing the struggle to return to meeting the OPEC quota once again.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, said recently that Nigeria would demand a higher oil production quota. Lokpobiri said the country’s current quota, pegged at about 1.5 mbpd, no longer reflects its true production capacity.
According to him, Nigeria would make a strong case for an upward review to at least two million barrels per day. Lokpobiri’s comment came at a time when the country’s crude output dropped from over 1.5 mbpd in July to 1.39 mbpd in September.
It was observed from the report that despite Nigeria’s growth, overall OPEC crude production was largely flat, rising by just 39,000 bpd to an estimated 25.17 mbpd in November.
Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s largest producer, recorded the biggest absolute increase, adding 48,000 bpd to reach 10.05 million bpd. The kingdom continues to carry the heaviest share of the group’s voluntary output adjustments.
Libya’s production also ticked up, rising by 14,000 bpd to 1.365 mbpd, maintaining its recovery trajectory despite lingering internal instability. Kuwait and the UAE reported mild increases of 10,000 bpd and 8,000 bpd, respectively.
Venezuela sustained its slow output recovery, adding 10,000 bpd to reach 1.142 million bpd, supported by incremental operational improvements.
Iraq posted the most notable drop, cutting 40,000 bpd to 4.1 mbpd amid renewed pressure from OPEC to improve compliance with agreed output levels. Congo recorded a smaller decline of 8,000 bpd, producing 269,000 bpd. Iran, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea did not provide direct production figures.
