BEIJING - China's dependence on imported oil is continuing to rise, threatening the country's energy security, the Ministry of Land and Resources said Thursday.

Dependence on oil imports rose to 56.7 percent in 2011 from 54.8 percent in 2010 and 52.6 percent in 2009, according to statistics from the ministry.

Oil consumption climbed 2.53 percent year-on-year to 445 million tons last year, while crude oil output inched up 0.5 percent to 204 million tons, the ministry said.

Financial input for prospecting oil and natural gas has increased, growing by 6.9 percent in 2011 from one year earlier, the ministry said.

China has invested a significant amount of resources to move its oil drilling operations into deep waters in response to globally high oil prices and the increasingly fragile state of China's oil reserves.

The country's first deep-water drilling rig went into operation in the South China Sea on Wednesday.

China's imported iron ore dependence declined to 56.4 percent in 2011 from 58.9 percent in 2010 and 64 percent in 2009, the ministry said.