Information asymmetry reduction improved procurement decision quality over time during India’s 2025 crude sourcing evolution, with better data enabling better choices. Data shows that US crude imports to India surged by 65.6% to $8.2 billion during April-December 2025, while Russian crude imports contracted by more than 17%, falling from $40 billion to $33.1 billion year-on-year.
December 2025 decisions reflected improved information. Russian crude shipments to India totaled $2.71 billion, down 15.15% from $3.2 billion in December 2024, with refiners making increasingly informed choices as they gathered data on alternative suppliers, true total costs including hidden charges, and policy trajectory probabilities.
Better information supported alternative supplier evaluation. Saudi Arabia’s 61% growth to $1.75 billion in December 2025 resulted from improved understanding of total value propositions. The United States’ 31% increase to $569.30 million reflected better information on quality and reliability. Iraq and the UAE, contributing $2.37 billion and $1.65 billion, benefited from reduced information gaps.
Information improvement accelerated following the US imposition of a 25% punitive tariff on Indian goods on August 27, 2025. This policy prompted intensive information gathering on costs, risks, and alternatives. As information asymmetry decreased, procurement decisions improved in quality. Russian crude imports declined from $3.62 billion in July 2025 to $2.71 billion in December 2025.
India’s total crude oil imports from all sources reached $11.29 billion in December 2025, up 9.1% from $10.34 billion in December 2024. Cumulative imports for April-December 2025 totaled $105.10 billion, compared to $109.33 billion in the corresponding period of 2024. The information improvement demonstrates how better data enables better decisions.
