Brazil: crude oil production 2014-2019, by layer

Offshore crude oil production from pre-salt in Brazil has been continuously increasing in recent years, surpassing that of post-salt in 2017, in terms of volume. In 2019, pre-salt production reached nearly 634 million barrels, an increase of more than 250 percent in comparison to 2014. In contrast, the post-salt oil production in the country decreased by 40.5 percent in the period, reaching 345.56 million barrels in 2019.

The pre-salt layer is a series of geological formations formed by the separation of what are currently the American and African continents. Pre-salt fuel reserves are normally located in deep-sea areas, under thick layers of salt. In Brazil, the exploration of pre-salt reserves started in 2006.