Angola Crude & LNG Export Destinations Map

Angola’s position as sub-Saharan Africa’s second-largest oil producer translates into one of the continent’s most significant crude export profiles. The country’s export portfolio is characterized by extreme geographic concentration, with China absorbing more than 60% of all crude shipments, and by the growing importance of LNG exports from the Soyo-based Angola LNG facility, which has become a meaningful supplier to European gas markets. This dashboard maps every significant export flow by destination, volume, value, and grade, providing the data infrastructure required for trade flow analysis, sanctions compliance monitoring, and market structure research.

Key Performance Indicators — Export Summary

Crude Oil Export Destinations — 2024 Breakdown

Top 15 Crude Export Destinations by Volume

China-Angola Crude Trade Deep Dive

The China-Angola crude oil trade relationship is one of the most consequential bilateral energy flows in the world. China has been Angola’s largest crude buyer since approximately 2006, when Chinese state-owned oil companies and banks began providing infrastructure loans collateralized by future oil deliveries. While the formal oil-backed lending structures have largely wound down, the commercial trade relationship remains deeply entrenched through term contracts between Sonangol and Chinese refiners.

Angola’s share of China’s total crude imports has been declining steadily from over 11% in 2015 to approximately 5.7% in 2024, not because of reduced Angola-China trade volumes but because China’s total import appetite has grown substantially while Angolan production has declined. China now imports approximately 11.5 million barrels per day from dozens of suppliers, with Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the UAE all providing larger volumes than Angola. Nevertheless, Angola remains one of China’s most important African crude suppliers, and the Cabinda Blend and Girassol grades are well-suited to Chinese refinery configurations optimized for medium-sweet African crudes.

Chinese Buyers of Angolan Crude

LNG Export Destinations — 2023/2024

Angola LNG, operated by Chevron at the Soyo facility, has become a meaningful supplier to global gas markets. With a nameplate liquefaction capacity of approximately 5.2 million tonnes per year (250 Bcf/year), the facility shipped 175 Bcf in 2023, with Europe absorbing 75% and Asia-Pacific taking 25%.

LNG Exports by Destination — 2023

Angola LNG Production Growth — 2024/2025

The Angola LNG facility recorded significant production growth through 2025, driven by the Sanha Lean Gas Connection achieving first gas in 2024 and the New Gas Consortium projects approaching completion.

Export Revenue Time Series — 2015 to 2025

The 2022 revenue peak of approximately USD 46.2 billion reflects the convergence of elevated crude prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and record LNG spot prices in European markets. While crude volumes have continued to decline, the stabilization of total petroleum export revenue in the USD 32-37 billion range through 2023-2024 has been supported by the growing LNG revenue contribution.

Crude Grade Export Profiles

Angola produces several distinct crude grades, each with different API gravity, sulfur content, and market positioning. Understanding grade-level export flows is essential for refinery optimization and trading analysis.

Regional Export Flow Analysis

Asia-Pacific Destinations (76.1% of crude exports)

European Destinations (14.8% of crude exports)

Americas Destinations (2.8% of crude exports)

Visualization Description — Export Flow Map

A Sankey diagram of Angola’s petroleum exports would display two primary source nodes: “Crude Oil (1.05 million b/d)” and “LNG (175 Bcf)” on the left side. From the crude node, the dominant flow — a thick red band representing 660,000 barrels per day — connects to China on the right. Thinner bands extend to India (85,000 b/d), Spain (45,000 b/d), France (38,000 b/d), Italy (35,000 b/d), South Korea (32,000 b/d), and a cluster of smaller destinations. From the LNG node, the thickest band flows to France (52 Bcf), followed by the United Kingdom (40 Bcf), with a separate cluster flowing to India (35 Bcf) and smaller Asian buyers. The visual immediately communicates the extreme concentration risk in Angola’s export portfolio: China alone accounts for nearly two-thirds of all crude revenue, making Angola’s fiscal position materially exposed to Chinese refinery demand patterns, US-China trade dynamics, and Beijing’s strategic petroleum reserve management decisions.

Export Infrastructure Capacity

Export destinations map last updated: March 22, 2026. Data sources: Angola customs (trade_data.json), Sonangol marketing arm, Kpler vessel tracking, S&P Global Platts trade flow data, EIA country analysis, Chevron/Angola LNG disclosures. Trade flow volumes are estimates based on vessel tracking, customs data, and commercial intelligence; actual traded volumes may differ.