India’s crude oil import bill rose nearly 57% year-on-year to $63.4 billion during April-July of FY27, even though the quantity of crude purchased from overseas remained largely stable. The sharp increase highlights the impact of higher international oil prices on India’s energy import costs.
According to a report by Financial Express citing data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC), crude imports increased only 0.5% to 81.9 million tonnes (MT) during the first four months of FY27, compared with 81.5 MT in the same period a year earlier. In rupee terms, the import bill stood at around ₹5.94 lakh crore.
Higher Crude Prices Drive Import Costs
The increase in the oil bill reflects elevated crude prices rather than a major rise in import volumes. India’s crude basket averaged $82.04 per barrel in July, compared with $70.95 a barrel during the same month last year. Brent crude also averaged $83.41 a barrel in July, against $70.99 a year earlier.
July alone saw crude imports rise 13.3% to 21.4 MT. The monthly import bill increased to $13.7 billion, from $9.7 billion in July 2025.
The pressure had already intensified in the June quarter, when India’s crude import bill increased 61% to $49.8 billion despite lower import volumes.
Oil Dependence Keeps Energy Bill Elevated
India’s combined net oil and gas import bill expanded to $57.8 billion during April-July, compared with $40.3 billion a year earlier. Gross petroleum imports were valued at $69 billion, up from $48.2 billion.
Petroleum product imports, however, declined sharply, with volumes falling 45.1% to 9 MT. LNG imports moved in the opposite direction, rising to 11,867 million standard cubic metres, while their value increased to $5.6 billion.
India’s dependence on overseas crude remained particularly high. Crude oil import dependency stood at 88.3% during April-July, while domestic production declined to 9.1 MT from 9.5 MT a year earlier. Overall oil and gas import dependence edged up to 80.4%.
