Which oil field is the largest in the world by production and reserves? Ghawar is the accepted answer, especially when referring to the largest conventional oil field.
Ghawar lies in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province and is operated by Saudi Aramco. Discovered in 1948, it began producing in 1951. The field stretches roughly 280 miles (450 kilometers) and covers about 8,400 square kilometers, making it an extraordinary “supergiant” petroleum structure.
Its scale is tied to both historical output and enormous reserves. Ghawar has supplied a substantial share of Saudi Arabia’s cumulative oil production, and its production has at times reached several million barrels per day. Saudi Aramco reported about 48.25 billion barrels of liquid reserves at the end of 2018, although reserve estimates vary by definition and reporting date.
A common mix-up is Burgan Field in Kuwait, another giant that is often described as the world’s second-largest oil field. “Largest” can also change if a source compares conventional fields, total recoverable reserves, or current daily production, but Ghawar is the standard quiz answer.