The amount of oil and natural gas a given region produces is not always proportionate to the size of its proven reserves. For example, the Middle East contains approximately 50 percent of the world’s proven reserves but accounts for only about 30 percent of global oil production (though this figure is still higher than in any other region). The United States, by contrast, lays claim to less than 2 percent of the world’s proven reserves but produces roughly 16 percent of the world’s oil.
