LONDON: OPEC on Tuesday raised its forecast for global oil demand next year and trimmed its forecast for growth in supply from the US and other producers outside the wider OPEC+ group, pointing to a tighter market outlook.
The outlook for higher demand and a drop in supply growth from outside OPEC+ would make it easier for OPEC+ to proceed with its plan to pump more barrels to regain market share after years of cuts aimed at supporting the market.
World oil demand will rise by 1.38 million barrels per day in 2026, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said in a monthly report, up 100,000 bpd from the previous forecast. This year’s expectation was left unchanged.
In the report, OPEC also increased its forecast for world economic growth slightly this year to 3 percent as President Donald Trump’s administration signs some trade deals and the economies of India, China and Brazil outperform expectations.
“Economic data at the start of the second half of 2025 further confirm the resilience of global growth, despite persistent uncertainties related to US-centered trade tensions and broader geopolitical risks,” OPEC said in the report.
