India’s petrol pump network crosses 1 lakh-mark
New Delhi: India’s petrol pump network has crossed the 1,00,000 mark, nearly doubling since 2015, as state-owned fuel retailers aggressively expanded outlets to protect market share and extend fuel access into rural areas and highway corridors amid rising vehicle ownership.
As of end-November, the country had 1,00,266 petrol pumps, making it the world’s third-largest network after the US and China, according to data from the Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC) of the Oil Ministry.
More than 90 per cent of the outlets are operated by state-owned companies such as Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL). Russia’s Rosneft-backed Nayara Energy is the largest private fuel retailer with 6,921 outlets, followed by the Reliance Industries–BP joint venture with 2,114 stations. Shell operates 346 pumps in India.
The network has expanded sharply from 50,451 outlets in 2015. Private players, which accounted for nearly 5.9 per cent of stations then, now make up about 9.3 per cent of the total. Private participation in fuel retailing began in FY2004 with just 27 outlets.
India now has the world’s third-largest petrol pump network. A 2024 report estimated the US had about 1,96,643 retail gas stations, while China had around 1,15,228 outlets. China’s Sinopec, the country’s largest fuel retailer, operates over 30,000 stations.
In India, IOC remains the market leader with 41,664 outlets, followed by BPCL with 24,605 and HPCL with 24,418. Rural outlets now account for nearly 29 per cent of the total, up from 22 per cent a decade ago. Many stations have also diversified into alternative fuels such as CNG and added EV charging facilities alongside petrol and diesel.
Industry officials say private participation remains limited due to indirect government control over fuel pricing through majority ownership in state-run retailers.
Daily price revisions were halted in November 2021, and past periods of below-cost pricing have affected private sector viability. Rising outlet density has also lowered per-pump throughput, pushing some stations on less busy routes into losses.
