Gas Prices Around the World

Every pump price is split into four parts. Crude oil, refining, and distribution together are the pre-tax cost of a gallon — worldwide that runs about $3.50, split roughly 60% crude / 16% refining / 24% distribution, in line with long-run U.S. Energy Information Administration figures. On top sits tax: for U.S. states we use the actual 2026 state gasoline tax (Tax Foundation) plus the 18.4¢ federal excise; for every other country a clean per-country tax figure isn’t available, so we estimate tax as the pump price minus that ~$3.50 pre-tax cost. A negative tax means the government sells below cost — a subsidy. Crude costs about the same everywhere, so the differences you see between countries are mostly tax. These splits are estimates for illustration, not audited figures.

Crude oil is a single global price, so it costs American and European refiners about the same. The difference at the pump is almost entirely tax: many European countries stack high fuel excise plus 20%+ value-added tax on every litre, while U.S. federal + state taxes are a fraction of that. The U.S. also sits close to its Gulf-Coast refineries and pipelines, keeping distribution costs low.

No — this is a recent snapshot, refreshed weekly (see the dates above). Prices and exchange rates move daily, so treat it as recent rather than a live quote. A historical trend view (how each country’s price has moved month to month) is planned once a price-history feed is connected; we don’t show made-up trend lines in the meantime.

Offshore oil platforms, colored by operating company. California’s Pacific OCS is complete (all 23 federal platforms per BSEE, plus the main state-water platforms and the Long Beach THUMS islands). Everywhere else is a representative selection of major platforms and fields — not every rig (there are roughly 12,000 offshore worldwide). Positions are approximate; toggle the layer with the “Oil rigs” button.