Oil Price History: WTI and Brent Annual Averages Since 1986
EIA's daily WTI spot price series begins on January 2, 1986, and its Brent series on May 20, 1987. This page lists every year with published data, from 1986 to 2026 (the 2026 figure is year to date).
Among complete years, WTI's highest annual average was $99.67 in 2008 and its lowest was $14.42 in 1998. The largest year-over-year increase in the annual average was +74.0% in 2021, and the largest decrease was −47.8% in 2015.
Annual average prices
By decade
| Decade | Years with data | WTI average | Brent average | WTI high | Date | WTI low | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1986–1989 | $17.46 | $17.08 | $26.53 | Jan 6, 1986 | $10.25 | Mar 31, 1986 |
| 1990s | 1990–1999 | $19.70 | $18.33 | $41.07 | Oct 11, 1990 | $10.82 | Dec 10, 1998 |
| 2000s | 2000–2009 | $51.10 | $49.54 | $145.31 | Jul 3, 2008 | $17.50 | Nov 15, 2001 |
| 2010s | 2010–2019 | $72.42 | $79.57 | $113.39 | Apr 29, 2011 | $26.19 | Feb 11, 2016 |
| 2020s | 2020–2026 | $72.25 | $76.93 | $123.64 | Mar 8, 2022 | −$36.98 | Apr 20, 2020 |
By year
| Year | WTI avg | vs prior year | WTI high | WTI low | Brent avg | vs prior year | Brent − WTI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | $86.23 | +31.9% | $114.58 | $56.01 | $95.34 | +37.9% | +$9.71 |
| 2025 | $65.39 | −14.7% | $80.73 | $55.44 | $69.14 | −14.1% | +$3.58 |
| 2024 | $76.63 | −1.2% | $87.69 | $66.73 | $80.52 | −2.4% | +$3.90 |
| 2023 | $77.58 | −18.3% | $93.67 | $66.61 | $82.49 | −18.3% | +$4.89 |
| 2022 | $94.90 | +39.3% | $123.64 | $71.05 | $100.93 | +42.4% | +$6.04 |
| 2021 | $68.13 | +74.0% | $85.64 | $47.47 | $70.86 | +68.9% | +$2.72 |
| 2020 | $39.16 | −31.3% | $63.27 | −$36.98 | $41.96 | −34.7% | +$2.49 |
| 2019 | $57.00 | −12.6% | $66.24 | $46.31 | $64.30 | −9.9% | +$7.36 |
| 2018 | $65.23 | +28.4% | $77.41 | $44.48 | $71.34 | +31.8% | +$6.12 |
| 2017 | $50.80 | +17.3% | $60.46 | $42.48 | $54.13 | +24.0% | +$3.37 |
| 2016 | $43.29 | −11.0% | $54.01 | $26.19 | $43.64 | −16.6% | +$0.41 |
| 2015 | $48.66 | −47.8% | $61.36 | $34.55 | $52.32 | −47.1% | +$3.62 |
| 2014 | $93.17 | −4.9% | $107.95 | $53.45 | $98.97 | −8.8% | +$5.76 |
| 2013 | $97.98 | +4.2% | $110.62 | $86.65 | $108.56 | −2.8% | +$10.57 |
| 2012 | $94.05 | −0.9% | $109.39 | $77.72 | $111.63 | +0.3% | +$17.62 |
| 2011 | $94.88 | +19.4% | $113.39 | $75.40 | $111.26 | +39.8% | +$16.52 |
| 2010 | $79.48 | +28.3% | $91.48 | $64.78 | $79.61 | +28.9% | +$0.13 |
| 2009 | $61.95 | −37.8% | $81.03 | $34.03 | $61.74 | −36.3% | −$0.21 |
| 2008 | $99.67 | +37.8% | $145.31 | $30.28 | $96.94 | +33.8% | −$2.73 |
| 2007 | $72.34 | +9.5% | $99.16 | $50.51 | $72.44 | +11.2% | +$0.15 |
| 2006 | $66.05 | +16.6% | $77.05 | $55.90 | $65.16 | +19.4% | −$0.92 |
| 2005 | $56.64 | +36.4% | $69.91 | $42.16 | $54.57 | +42.6% | −$2.07 |
| 2004 | $41.51 | +33.6% | $56.37 | $32.49 | $38.26 | +32.6% | −$3.17 |
| 2003 | $31.08 | +18.7% | $37.96 | $25.25 | $28.85 | +15.4% | −$2.23 |
| 2002 | $26.18 | +0.8% | $32.68 | $18.02 | $24.99 | +2.2% | −$1.14 |
| 2001 | $25.98 | −14.5% | $32.21 | $17.50 | $24.46 | −14.7% | −$1.52 |
| 2000 | $30.38 | +57.1% | $37.22 | $23.91 | $28.66 | +60.1% | −$1.82 |
| 1999 | $19.34 | +34.1% | $28.03 | $11.38 | $17.90 | +40.3% | −$1.40 |
| 1998 | $14.42 | −30.0% | $17.93 | $10.82 | $12.76 | −33.2% | −$1.66 |
| 1997 | $20.61 | −6.8% | $26.55 | $17.60 | $19.11 | −7.4% | −$1.49 |
| 1996 | $22.12 | +20.0% | $26.55 | $17.33 | $20.64 | +21.3% | −$1.47 |
| 1995 | $18.43 | +7.2% | $20.53 | $16.86 | $17.02 | +7.3% | −$1.40 |
| 1994 | $17.20 | −6.7% | $20.72 | $13.89 | $15.86 | −6.8% | −$1.36 |
| 1993 | $18.43 | −10.4% | $21.05 | $13.98 | $17.01 | −12.0% | −$1.40 |
| 1992 | $20.58 | −4.5% | $23.03 | $17.89 | $19.32 | −3.6% | −$1.26 |
| 1991 | $21.54 | −12.2% | $32.25 | $17.43 | $20.04 | −15.7% | −$1.50 |
| 1990 | $24.53 | +24.9% | $41.07 | $15.43 | $23.76 | +30.3% | −$0.79 |
| 1989 | $19.64 | +23.0% | $24.62 | $16.99 | $18.23 | +22.3% | −$1.39 |
| 1988 | $15.97 | −16.8% | $18.54 | $12.58 | $14.91 | −19.5% | −$1.04 |
| 1987 | $19.20 | +27.6% | $22.44 | $15.12 | $18.53* | — | −$1.09 |
| 1986 | $15.05 | — | $26.53 | $10.25 | — | — | — |
* Brent 1987 covers May 20 – Dec 31 only. The current year is the mean of daily prices published so far.
Adjusted for inflation to September 2026 dollars with CPI-U, the highest annual WTI average was $155.98 in 2008, which ranks 1st in nominal terms.
Price episodes (1973–2022), including the 1973 embargo and 1979 crisis before the daily series began · Inflation-adjusted price history · Price records · WTI vs Brent spread
Source and methodology
| Provider | Series | Units | Coverage | Latest observation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Energy Information Administration | RWTC — WTI spot price FOB (annual) | $/bbl | 1986–2026 | — |
| U.S. Energy Information Administration | RBRTE — Brent spot price FOB (annual) | $/bbl | 1987–2026 | — |
Last updated: Oct 21, 2026, 5:44 PM CDT. Raw values are shown in source units; any conversion is labeled. See methodology and data sources.