It gives me great pleasure to introduce this 57th edition of the Annual Statistical Bulletin (ASB). The ASB is one of OPEC’s flagship publications, along with the World Oil Outlook. First released back in 1965, this yearly publication has earned its status over the years as a reputable and trustworthy source for energy stakeholders around the world.
Our lives today revolve around data and technology. In fact, nearly everything we do on a daily basis is connected in one way or another to data. At OPEC, the same applies - indeed data goes to the core of what we do.
The data we collect for our oil market analysis and forecasting is of critical importance, and we constantly strive to ensure the highest level of accuracy in all that we do. This enables us to make educated and informed decisions based on verifiable facts and figures. We cannot and do not rely on assumptions.
Our dedicated focus on data accuracy and transparency has led energy analysts, oil companies and industry decision-makers to trust the ASB for the key data and statistics they require to make important decisions and to better inform their planning and operations.
OPEC’s laser focus on the quality and reliability of data and research underpins our objectives of promoting a sustainable oil market stability for the benefit of producers, consumers and the global economy.
The success of this year’s ASB would not have been possible without the combined efforts of our Data Services Department working in close cooperation with our Member Country experts.
I commend the entire ASB team for producing yet another stellar edition that meets the highest standards of quality and excellence. I am confident that this year’s publication will prove to be highly beneficial to stakeholders across the global industry.
And, finally, our hope is that this product, through the transparency of its data, will also serve as a tool to help us promote a sustainable market stability in the years ahead.