Sector Snapshot · Oil

India's Oil Demand Set to Double by 2045

A fast-read primer on India's oil exploration and production sector — the backdrop against which we benchmark every company's cost structure in this category.

#3
India's rank as largest oil consumer globally
25.63 MMT
Crude oil production, FY26 (Apr-Feb)
243.22 MMT
Crude oil imports, FY25 (+3.82%)
500 mn tonnes
Crude oil consumption forecast by FY40
258.12 MMTPA
Refining capacity, FY25

Consumption and Refining Capacity Both Keep Growing

Crude consumption is on a clear multi-decade growth path, backed by expanding refining capacity.

Crude Oil Consumption (million tonnes)

FY24 → FY40 forecast

233.3 MT
FY24
500 MT
FY40F

Refining Capacity (MMTPA)

FY24 → FY25

251 MMTPA
FY24
258.12 MMTPA
FY25

What's Pushing the Sector Forward

Global scale, rapid capacity expansion, and supportive policy define the sector.

Scale
  • World's 3rd-largest oil consumer
  • 4th-largest crude oil refiner globally
Rapid Expansion
  • Refiners set to add 56 MTPA of capacity by 2028
  • Rs3,28,227cr capex planned for a petrochemicals push
Policy Support
  • FDI limit for PSU refining projects raised to 49%

Recent Developments

A sample of the industry-wide and policy moves shaping the sector through early 2026.

Companies We Benchmark in This Sector

Listed Indian Oil companies in tDoBe's cost-benchmarking coverage.

ONGC
Oil India
Aegis Vopak Terminals
Vedanta Oil and Gas
Deep Industries
Antelopus Selan
Hindustan Oil Exploration
Prabha Energy
Asian Energy Services
Jindal Drilling
Dolphin Offshore Enterprises
Gujarat Natural Resources
Ganesh Benzoplast
Teja Engineering
Oil Country Tubular
DHP India
Alphageo (India)
Aakash Exploration Services

The Cost Benchmark — What We Actually FoundtDoBe Think Report

The market facts above are public background. What follows is tDoBe's own work: every "Other Expenses" line from these companies' own financial records, read by hand and sorted into one clear set of categories — not a keyword search, not each company's own way of reporting it.

38.4%
tDoBe Average — Other Expenses as % of net revenue
28.6×
Gap between the highest and lowest company
12
Cost categories, sorted by meaning
13.8%
Biggest single category — Miscellaneous & Others
FY24/25
Latest available financial records

Where Companies Land — Total Other Expenses

Each mark is one company's total Other Expenses as % of net revenue. No company is named here.

38.4%
0%20%40%60%80%100%120%140%

tDoBe Average by Cost Category

Ranked from biggest to smallest.

Miscellaneous & Others
13.8%
Manpower Supply/Contract Labour
3.3%
Legal & Professional Fees
2.0%
Travel & Conveyance
0.3%
Corporate Social Responsibility
0.3%
Total Other Expenses
38.4%
Where the Cost Really Sits

Miscellaneous & Others dominates at 14.7% of revenue — more than four times the next largest category, Manpower Supply/Contract Labour (3.3%) — reflecting how different the businesses inside this sector really are.

Why the Range Is So Wide

This is the widest spread we've measured in any sector — the sector code covers national upstream explorers, oilfield service contractors, storage and terminal operators, and small exploration-stage companies, four genuinely different businesses sharing one label. That mix, not inconsistent cost control, drives the 28.6x gap.

One Company Held Back

One company's standalone filing doesn't let us separate its employee costs from its other costs, so it can't be compared to the rest on the same basis — it's left out of this benchmark, though its other figures are kept on file for reference.

See Where Your Own Company Stands

This is the free, sector-wide view. It tells you where Oil stands as a whole — not where your own company stands against it, category by category, in rupees.

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A below-average number is a reason to call too — the benchmark keeps improving as we go.

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Compiled from public government and industry sources, February 2026 update · Figures rounded · tDoBe sector snapshot, for informational purposes · Cost Benchmark findings compiled from companies' own financial records, FY2024/25.