OPEC Countries: All 12 Member States (2026)

There are 12 OPEC member countries in 2026: Algeria, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. Together they control a large share of the world's proven oil reserves and coordinate production to influence global crude prices.

What Is OPEC?

OPEC stands for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. It is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1960 that coordinates the petroleum policies of its member states, most importantly by setting collective production targets. The goal is to stabilize oil markets, secure a steady income for producing nations, and ensure a fair return for the investors who finance the industry. Because its members sit on a huge portion of the planet's oil, OPEC's decisions can move prices at the pump around the world.

OPEC was created in Baghdad, Iraq, in September 1960 by five founding members: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. Its headquarters were first in Geneva, Switzerland, but moved to Vienna, Austria, in 1965, where the Secretariat remains today. Membership has fluctuated over the decades as countries joined, left, and sometimes rejoined. The most recent departure was Angola, which formally left OPEC in January 2024 after disputes over its production quota, reducing the group to its current 12 members.

The 12 OPEC Member Countries (2026)

The current members span the Middle East, North and Central Africa, and South America. Saudi Arabia is by far the most influential, functioning as OPEC's de facto leader because of its enormous spare production capacity.

• Saudi Arabia (Riyadh): Founding member and OPEC's largest producer, holding roughly a fifth of the world's proven oil reserves and the group's swing capacity.
• Iran (Tehran): Founding member with vast reserves; production has been constrained for years by international sanctions.
• Iraq (Baghdad): Founding member and the birthplace of OPEC; typically the group's second-largest producer.
• Kuwait (Kuwait City): Founding member and small but wealthy Gulf state with major reserves relative to its size.
• Venezuela (Caracas): Founding member holding some of the largest proven reserves on Earth, though output has collapsed amid economic crisis.
• United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi): Joined in 1967; a leading Gulf producer and an increasingly assertive voice within the group.
• Libya (Tripoli): Joined in 1962; North Africa's major producer, with output frequently disrupted by internal conflict.
• Algeria (Algiers): Joined in 1969; a significant producer of both crude oil and natural gas for European markets.
• Nigeria (Abuja): Joined in 1971; Africa's most populous nation and one of the continent's top oil exporters.
• Gabon (Libreville): Joined in 1975, left in 1995, and rejoined in 2016; a small Central African producer.
• Equatorial Guinea (Malabo): Joined in 2017; one of the newest and smallest members by output.
• Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville): Joined in 2018; the most recent country to become a full OPEC member.

OPEC vs OPEC+: Commonly Confused

People often mix up OPEC with the larger alliance known as OPEC+. OPEC is the formal organization of the 12 member countries listed above. OPEC+ is a broader, looser coalition that adds several major oil producers who are not OPEC members but agree to coordinate production with the group. The most important of these partners is Russia, alongside countries such as Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Oman, Bahrain, Malaysia, Brunei, Sudan, South Sudan, and Mexico.

OPEC+ was formed in 2016 to give the group more control over global supply, since non-OPEC producers had grown large enough to blunt OPEC's influence on their own. When you read headlines about production cuts affecting oil prices, they usually refer to decisions taken by OPEC+ as a whole rather than OPEC alone. It is also worth remembering that the United States, now the world's single largest oil producer, is not a member of either group and does not coordinate its output with them.

The History and Purpose of OPEC

OPEC was born out of frustration. In the 1950s, a handful of Western oil companies known as the "Seven Sisters" controlled global pricing and paid producing nations relatively little. By banding together in 1960, the founding five aimed to reclaim control over their own natural resources. OPEC's power became dramatically clear during the 1973 oil embargo, when Arab members cut exports in response to Western support for Israel, sending prices soaring and triggering a global energy crisis.

Since then OPEC has acted as a stabilizing and price-influencing force, raising output when prices spike and cutting it when they slump. Its challenge in the modern era is balancing the interests of members who need high prices to fund their budgets against the long-term rise of renewable energy, US shale production, and pressure to decarbonize. These forces explain why cooperation with non-members through OPEC+ has become so central to the group's strategy.

Common Questions

How many countries are in OPEC?

As of 2026 there are 12 OPEC member countries. The number dropped from 13 when Angola left the organization in January 2024.

Which country left OPEC most recently?

Angola formally withdrew in January 2024 after disagreements over its assigned production quota. Qatar had left earlier, in 2019, to focus on natural gas.

Is Russia part of OPEC?

No. Russia is not an OPEC member, but it is the most important partner in the wider OPEC+ alliance, coordinating production cuts and increases alongside the 12 official members.

Where is OPEC's headquarters?

OPEC has been headquartered in Vienna, Austria, since 1965. It was originally based in Geneva, Switzerland, following its founding in Baghdad in 1960.

Final Thoughts

The 12 OPEC countries remain among the most important players in the global economy, even as the energy world shifts toward renewables. From the founding five that met in Baghdad in 1960 to newer members in Central Africa, OPEC continues to shape the price of the fuel that powers much of daily life. Understanding who belongs to OPEC, and how it differs from the larger OPEC+ alliance, is essential to making sense of energy news and geopolitics.