India's crude oil production has fallen for the eleventh consecutive year, decreasing by 2.5% to 28 million metric tonnes in the 2025-26 fiscal year, according to data from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. This decline represents a 22% drop from 2014-15, when the downward trend began. Similarly, natural gas production also declined for the second straight year, falling 3.7% to 34,776 million metric standard cubic metres (mmscm). The country's increasing reliance on imports has become evident, with 89% of oil and 51% of gas being sourced from abroad, raising concerns about supply security, especially in light of recent geopolitical tensions such as the Iran war. The decline in production has been attributed to the natural depletion of aging fields and a lack of significant new discoveries over the past decade. Despite government efforts to attract exploration investments through various reforms, foreign firms have been hesitant to participate, leading to a dominance of domestic state-run players in licensing rounds. To revive production, substantial investments in exploration are deemed necessary.