Revenue Watch analyzed revenue data from the 50 reports published to date by 23 countries under the auspices of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). Each report discloses payments made by petroleum and mining companies to the government, and the amounts received by government from companies. EITI revenue data show how dependent many countries are on these nonrenewable resources. EITI figures, when combined with independent price and production data, also provide rough estimates of how much each government earns relative to the private companies that extract the resources.

Data on individual revenue streams highlight the great variety in fiscal regimes - some governments collect large sums in taxes or royalties, but many oil producers capture larger earnings from crude oil sales. The reports vary greatly in the quality of their data. Until EITI reports are produced regularly, contain comprehensive and reliable data and have a basic level of comparability, their value as a source of information will remain compromised. If report quality improves, the data will provide a powerful tool for making natural resource revenue management more transparent and accountable.