Canada Responsible For Record 61% Of U.S. Oil Imports. Why It Matters.

BusinessPolicyCanada Responsible For Record 61% Of U.S. Oil Imports. Why It Matters.ByKen Roberts,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Two decades analyzing U.S. trade data by port, country, export, importFollow AuthorApr 22, 2026, 05:30am EDTCanada's domination of U.S. oil imports, topping 60% on an annual basis in 2025, matters for several reasons.ustradenumbers.comCanada was responsible for a record 60.88% of U.S. oil imports in 2025, the first time it or any other country had accounted for 60% of the total value in the modern era, if ever, according to my analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.Canada’s total for 2025 was $85.39 billion; the U.S. total was $140.26 billion. Through February, that percentage is running at 59.04%.While both import numbers are well off their records, given U.S. domestic production, and while Canada’s overall trade has fallen three straight years, the record in the percentage matters for three reasons.First, Canada’s importance to the United States as a trade partner – it ranks second only to Mexico – is heightened by the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran. That has led to the subsequent and ongoing blockage of the Strait of Hormuz and the nearly immediate steep increase in gasoline and jet fuel prices.Americans, as well as people around the world, are feeling the pain at the pump and when making airline reservations. Domestically, that’s a cause for concern to the Republican-led House and Senate as the mid-term Congressional elections approach.It would not help GOP efforts to keep control of both the House and Senate if U.S. access to Canadian oil, even at higher prices, was in any way stymied.The second reason, which ties back to an earlier Middle East war in a roundabout way, is that Canadian oil keeps the U.S. trade deficit down, even if just a smidge, while allowing economic growth in the United States. MORE FOR YOUStay with me, here.Canada’s oil is a so-called “heavy” oil, a less-clean...