Last checked at 
* U.S. oil growth outpaces China for first time since 1999
* Shale boom boosts U.S. production for second year in a row
* BP raises oil, gas reserves in its annual statisticsreview
By Ron Bousso
LONDON, June 16 (Reuters) - Oil demand in the United Statesgrew at the fastest pace in the world in 2013, outstrippingChina for the first time since 1999 as the world's top economyreaped the benefit of the shale boom, oil major BP said onMonday.
BP also said the United States recorded itslargest-ever annual rise in production for a second year in arow at 1.1 million barrels per day (bpd).
In its annual review of energy statistics, first publishedin 1951 and considered an industry benchmark, BP said U.S. oilconsumption in 2013 grew by 400,000 bpd, the sharpest increasein the world, followed by China's rise of 390,000 bpd, BP said.
The consumption growth was led by an expansion of the U.S.industrial sector as the world's top economy emerged from the2008 financial crisis, BP Chief Economist Christof Ruhl said.
At the same time, a Chinese slowdown was driven mainly bylower consumption of diesel and gasoil, which traditionallyreflect the rate of economic growth.
"It is easy to understand the U.S. - If you have a lot ofcheap domestic oil that feeds into the industry, it will show upeventually in GDP growth numbers. It's not that easy toreconcile the slowdown in Chinese energy numbers," Ruhl said.
China's economic growth hit a 14-year low in 2013, a declinethat accelerated in the first part of this year as Beijing leadsa wide drive to reform the country's economy.
Overall, China's energy consumption growth slowed to around4.7 percent in 2013 from a 10-year average of 8.4 percentdespite the fact the Beijing officially reported a 7.7 percentrise in gross domestic product (GDP) in 2013, Ruhl said.
"There is a lot of tension between the official growthnumbers for China and the official energy numbers consumptionfor China," he said.
Global oil production did not keep pace with the growth inoil consumption, rising by 560,000 bpd or 0.6 percent, as outputdisruptions from Libya, Nigeria and Iraq due to political strifewere almost entirely offset by a 1.1 million bpd growth in U.S.output, BP said.
"The huge investments seen in the U.S. have been encouragedand enabled by a favourable policy regime. And this has resultedin the U.S. delivering the world's largest increase in oilproduction last year. Indeed, the U.S. increase... was one ofthe biggest annual oil production increases the world has everseen," Ruhl said.
This balance also explains oil price stability over the pastthree years, with the lowest volatility since the early 1970s,he said.
RESERVES
BP increased its global proved natural gas reserves at theend of 2013 to 185.7 trillion cubic metres (tcm), enough to meet54.8 years of global production, up from a revised 2012 figureof 185.3 tcm.
The oil major also increased its global oil reservesestimates to 1,687.9 billion barrels at the end of 2013, enoughto meet 53.3 years of current global production. (Reporting by Ron Bousso, editing by David Evans)
