Oil and Human Rights Don't Mix

According to the nonprofit Freedom House, only 9% of world oil reserves are controlled by countries considered “free.” What this means is that there are few democratic protections to assure that profits are distributed or that the rights of the people where the oil is located are respected. In fact, scholars have examined the relationship between corruption, authoritarian governments, governance, conflict, and extractive industries, and have found strong evidence for a ‘repression effect’ —- resource wealth enables governments to fund repression thereby retarding democracy.

Oil-rich nations are susceptible to human rights abuses because of the huge oil revenues at stake. Given oil’s demand, dwindling supply, and its massive potential profits, these nations will frequently welcome foreign investment, and try to maximize oil-generated revenue without the necessary infrastructure and policies required to protect the earth or people. Often, oil funds make up the vast majority of national revenue, but only benefit a very small percentage of the population.

Below are tables of the world’s top net oil exporters and the countries with the worst human rights records and least transparency.

TOP OIL PRODUCING NATIONS
2005 Top World Net Exporters