The UAE just hit a crude oil production record north of 3.8 million barrels per day in June 2026, the highest level since April 2020. The timing is not a coincidence.
This production milestone arrived barely two months after the UAE formally exited OPEC and OPEC+ on May 1, 2026, freeing itself from the cartel’s production quotas that had historically limited the country’s output to between 3 and 3.4 million bpd.
What the numbers look like
The 3.8 million bpd figure represents the UAE’s state oil company ADNOC finally flexing capacity it has been building for the better part of a decade. ADNOC’s total production capacity now sits at an estimated 4.8 to 4.85 million bpd, meaning the country achieved roughly 40% growth in capacity over six years.
Even at record output, the UAE is running at only about 78% of its total capacity.
