10 countries with the cheapest gasoline

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective, does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Gasoline prices in Russia have long been the talk of the town. It seems to be a raw material country, and there are a lot of oil refineries – literally in every more or less large city there are – but all the same, you have to pay a considerable part of the salary for the fuel. But what can I say – residents of the regions bordering with Kazakhstan go to their neighbors for gas stations. They have gasoline – only about 25 rubles (in terms of Russian currency) per liter of 95th.

But maybe trips to Kazakhstan are not the most profitable option, and there is a way to refuel cheaper? We will figure this out now by compiling a rating of 10 countries with the cheapest gasoline. For the top, data from a study by the Bloomberg financial group, conducted in 2018, were used.

Ranking of countries with the cheapest gasoline

Nomination	a place	Country	price per liter
Ranking of countries with the cheapest gasoline	10	Russia	$ 0.72
	9	UAE	$ 0.68
	8	Indonesia	$ 0.67
	7	Malaysia	$ 0.54
	6	Saudi Arabia	$ 0.54
	5	Egypt	$ 0.43
	4	Nigeria	$ 0.41
	3	Kazakhstan	$ 0.39
	2	Kuwait	$ 0.35
	1	Iran	$ 0.28
	Bonus	Venezuela	$ 0.01

10th place: Russia ($ 0.72 / l)

Rating: 4.1

Surprisingly, the rating is opened by a country whose residents are used to complaining about high and constantly growing fuel prices. The weighted average price of gasoline in Russia is only $ 0.72 per liter, which is about three times cheaper than in European countries. Perhaps that is why citizens of the country more and more often, regardless of income level, choose a car as their personal transport.

Bloomberg reports that the average car owner in Russia spends 330 liters of gasoline per year. This suggests that, first of all, the car is used for short-term routine trips – to work and home. Well, that is, it replaces the bus. True, it is more expensive, since the average fuel costs are just over $ 0.6 per day.

Russians can afford gasoline. According to published information, about 2.5% of income is spent on fuel.

9th place: UAE ($ 0.68 / l)

Rating: 4.2

Amazing things are happening with gasoline in the United Arab Emirates. It is not only objectively inexpensive, but also subjectively cheap! Bloomberg gave the UAE the 5th place in terms of fuel availability – that is, even a poor Arab can afford to refuel regularly without much damage to the family budget.

The weighted average price of a liter of gasoline in this country (which also specializes in the extraction and processing of petroleum products) is only 68 cents per liter. At the same time, the Arabs actively spend it this way. Every local car owner spends just over 1,100 liters of fuel a year.

This high expenditure is primarily due to the significant discrepancy between the 'rich' and 'poor' social classes. There are practically no 'average' Arabs who would cut across the country in economical Ford Focus. The rich drive huge SUVs and sports cars that burn fuel like a good airplane; and the poor – on old and fuel-consuming cars with an insultingly low efficiency.

8th place: Indonesia ($ 0.67 / l)

Rating: 4.3

The people of Indonesia are extremely careful and economical motorists. According to statistics, the average car owner burns only 120 liters of fuel per year. And this is due to the extremely high price of fuel.

The fact is that despite the objective cheapness of fuel, salaries in Indonesia are insultingly low. The average daily income of a citizen of this country is only $ 10. This means that most Indonesians do not receive half of this amount (and we all know how statistics work). As a result, driving a car for the majority of Indonesian citizens simply becomes unaffordable – a liter of gasoline at a price of $ 0.67 costs 6-10% of daily earnings.

Therefore, the streets of Indonesian cities are empty. You rarely see a private car here, and traffic jams happen once in never. It's just that petrol in Indonesia is objectively cheap, but subjectively very expensive.

7th place: Malaysia ($ 0.54 / l)

Rating: 4.4

Malaysia is a land of contrasts. On the one hand, it is a rapidly developing state, in which there are more and more industrial and production centers. On the other hand, 19% of the population is employed in low-budget agriculture, which accounts for 7.3% of GDP. But it is in Malaysia that there are manufacturing facilities Intel, Texas Instruments, AMD and other high-tech companies.

As a result, everything is pretty average with gasoline. A private car can be afforded mainly by representatives of the middle class, car owners are relatively few, and each of them, according to statistics, consumes 526 liters of fuel per year.

On average, a liter of gasoline will cost 54 cents. That's roughly 2 percent of your daily income. Gasoline is affordable – but not really needed, because with a huge population density and developed transport infrastructure, Malaysians prefer to use public buses and the metro.

6th place: Saudi Arabia ($ 0.54 / l)

Rating: 4.5

Saudi Arabia is another country that specializes in the extraction, supply and refining of petroleum products. Therefore, it would be foolish to expect high gasoline prices here. But the economic situation is much more interesting.

The fact is that in Saudi Arabia there is a severe stratification of social classes. This country scored 45.9 points in the Gini index – an indicator of socio-economic inequality (for comparison, in Russia it is 41.4 points). There is a hyper-concentration of wealth in the capital of the ruling elite, while 9% of the population cannot even afford to go to primary school.

As a consequence, cars are a luxury here, not a means of transportation. But gasoline is inexpensive. Only 54 cents per liter, according to statistics. It is worth remembering that the ruling elite prefers powerful and expensive cars that burn fuel like an airplane. According to economic studies, the average owner of a car in this country burns up to 1200 liters of fuel per year.

5th place: Egypt ($ 0.43 / l)

Rating: 4.6

Egypt also has oil fields and refineries. But at the same time, “black gold” occupies a relatively small place in the country's exports – that is, it is almost completely consumed by citizens. And that's why gasoline in Egypt is very cheap.

But there is no one to spend it. Most of the country's inhabitants are below the poverty line. According to UN research, 31% of Egyptian children are malnourished, there is a threat of hunger in the state, the government has a strange policy, and the unemployment rate is 19%! The Gini index is even higher than that of Saudi Arabia, 47 points. Income is distributed extremely unevenly. And therefore, it is not surprising that tourism is practically the leader in the country's income.

As a result, with a gasoline price of 43 cents per liter, its average annual consumption is only 99 liters for each car owner.

4th place: Nigeria ($ 0.41 / l)

Rating: 4.7

Nigeria is the very country where people are afraid of poverty. As a result, gasoline is cheap here, only they don't buy it. There are practically no cars on Nigerian roads – this pleasure is too expensive, an ordinary citizen of this state cannot afford a car.

The median daily salary for a Nigerian worker is $ 5.19. Then if a liter of gasoline – even if you take into account its almost penny price of 41 cents – will cost 8% of daily income. All that remains is to choose – buy food or go to work by car.

There is another important factor stopping Nigerians from buying personal vehicles – a very high crime rate. If you leave the car unattended, you will continue to walk. Street thefts and robberies are leading in the number of crimes committed, so bragging about the presence of vehicles is an incredible adventurous and risky.

The average annual fuel consumption is 54 liters per driver.

3rd place: Kazakhstan ($ 0.39 / l)

Rating: 4.8

As mentioned in the introduction to this rating, many Russians living in the immediate vicinity of Kazakhstan travel to a neighboring state to refuel. Why not? With gasoline at 39 cents per liter (on average), the savings are significant.

Kazakhstan is trying to use its own oil. There are quite a few fields and mining companies in the country. Moreover, Kazakhstan also exports a little oil. As a result, he can afford to sell fuel relatively inexpensively.

However, at some Kazakhstani gas stations you can also find Russian fuel. The Gazpromneft network operates in this country. And the prices for gasoline presented there practically do not differ from the cost of local ones. Truly, the magic of excise taxes, pricing and other economic features is amazing.

At the same time, Kazakhstan is not exactly the country to move to. The Gini index is 28.8 points, the unemployment rate is 4.9%. That is, in principle, everything is a little better than in Russia, but it's still far from perfect.

2nd place: Kuwait ($ 0.35 / l)

Rating: 4.9

The cheapness of gasoline in Kuwait is understandable. This country is one of the largest oil producers and exporters. However, its economic situation is more stable and favorable than in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

See for yourself. The Gini coefficient (a measure of the income gap between rich and poor) is just over 30 points. The unemployment rate is only 1.3%. Inflation in 2018-2019 is less than 1%. Kuwait is an economically stable and rapidly developing country. Therefore, there are many cars, motorists and an adequate price of gasoline.

In particular, for a liter of fuel, on average, you will have to pay about 35 cents. This represents less than half a percent of the average daily income of a Kuwaiti. Statistically, every driver in Kuwait uses about 960 liters of fuel per year. The provision of transport is 1 car per 2.25 people (although this leads to a huge death rate in road accidents, and each driver receives on average at least 2 fines per year, but this is already particular).

1st place: Iran ($ 0.28 / l)

Rating: 5.0

Iran tops the list of countries with the cheapest gasoline. A liter of fuel (on average) in this state will cost 28 cents. True, subjectively, it is still expensive.

On average, an Iranian earns $ 14 per day. If he each bought a liter of gasoline, it would take 2% of his income. So, subjectively, not every Iranian can afford to simply travel around the country in a car – this requires at least being provided. And the expense only confirms this. The average annual cost of gasoline per driver is only 325 liters – even slightly less than in Russia.

Such a low price for gasoline is due to the fact that Iran is one of the largest exporters of oil. He owns about 10% of the world's 'black gold' reserves. In addition, Iran occupies 5.5% of the world oil market. But, as is often the case with resource-based states, incomes are distributed to an insulting uneven – and almost 10% of the country's population is below the poverty line.

Bonus: Venezuela ($ 0.01 / L)

Rating: 5.0

Yes, Venezuela is a country with almost free gasoline. A liter of fuel will cost only 1 cent – well, or less than a ruble. Thanks to this, almost every adult in Venezuela has a private car, and the average annual consumption is almost 500 liters.

However, not everything is so rosy. Venezuela is an incredibly, insanely, horribly poor country. The average daily income is 92 centers. But even for this money, it will not be possible to buy just a bottle of mineral water or cola – they cost about two dollars. A cup of espresso in a coffee shop will cost about one full refill of some Ford Focus III generation.

Such an insane pricing policy (practically free gasoline and very expensive everything else in general) is due to the actions of President Hugo Chavez. It was he who began to subsidize the oil production and refining industry in the country. Every year, the state allocates $ 12 million to companies that pump out and distill 'black gold'.

As a result, the cost of a liter of gasoline is 28 times higher than its price.

Interestingly, many Venezuelans smuggle fuel to neighboring countries. However, with an average daily wage of 92 cents and 20% of the population below the poverty line, people somehow need to survive.

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.