RAS question
What percentage of India''s total crude oil imports comes from Russia?
Correct answer: (C) 35-40%.
Russia supplied about 39%, or roughly 35-40%, of India's crude oil and condensate imports in 2023.
Explanation
The right range is 35-40% because the U.S. Energy Information Administration identifies Russia as the primary source of India's crude oil and condensate imports in 2023, accounting for about 39% of the total. That figure sits inside the 35-40% band, so option C is the only correct option. Russia's share was only 2.5% in 2021, but India's purchases of discounted Russian crude rose sharply in 2022 and increased again in 2023. Those higher Russian imports displaced crude oil imports from other trading partners, which is why the Russian share had become large enough to dominate India's import basket.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 15-20% understates the share, because the EIA puts Russia at about 39% of India's crude oil and condensate imports in 2023.
- (B) 25-30% is still below the EIA figure of about 39%, so it misses the correct import-share band.
- (D) 50-55% overstates Russia's role, since its share was about 39%, not above half of India's crude import basket.
Concept
This tests India's external-sector energy dependence and the changing geography of crude-oil imports. RAS repeats such questions because oil-import sourcing links the economy syllabus with current international developments.