BP Oil Spill, by the Numbers

As of today, BP has spent about $350 million—or $16 million a day—on cleanup and related problems due to the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf. Sure, it’s a lot of money, but cleanup and related costs are only the beginning. While it’s difficult to predict the long-term impact of the spill, here’s a closer look at the short term.


400
The minimum number of species threatened by the oil spill

2,000
Number of estimated square miles of oil slick

7,000
Square miles of federal fishing area in the Gulf that has closed because of the slick

10
Minimum number of days the federal government is restricting fishing in federal waters most affected by the BP oil spill

25 million
Number of birds that crisscross the Gulf Coast each day, and could be at risk from the oil spill

$365 million
Cost to build the now-bleeding Deepwater Horizon oil rig

$1.6 billion
Economic activity at risk because of the oil spill

$14 billion+
Current estimated total cost of the spill

$163 billion
BP profits from 2001 to 2009

10-15
The percentage of spilled oil that is typically recovered during these disasters

3.5 million
Estimated gallons spilled so far. At this rate, the BP spill is expected to surpass the Exxon Valdez spill as the country’s worst by Father’s Day.