Petrol sales above pre-Covid levels as economic activity gathers steam

Petrol sales rose above pre-pandemic levels in the first half of July as states eased mobility restrictions and economic activity picked up. Demand for petrol climbed 18% year-on-year and 3.4% over the first half of July 2019, according to data from state-run oil companies, which control nearly 90% of the retail fuels market.

Diesel sales also improved sharply but remained lower than pre-Covid-19 levels.

Sales of diesel surged 12.7% over last year but were 10.7% lower than the same period in July 2019. Jet fuel sales rose 20.4% from last July but were down 56% from 2019 as flights remain restricted.