How much of Uzbekistan’s trade passes through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait?

Estimated value of its trade with each partner that crosses the chokepoint; the percentage is the share of all its trade through the chokepoint, not of the pair’s trade.

1. Uzbekistan–China$1.7 billion · 60.9%
2. Uzbekistan–Russia$416 million · 15.2%
3. Uzbekistan–South Korea$257 million · 9.4%
4. Uzbekistan–India$117 million · 4.3%
5. Uzbekistan–Iran$57 million · 2.1%
6. Uzbekistan–Pakistan$53 million · 1.9%
7. Uzbekistan–Japan$41 million · 1.5%
8. Uzbekistan–United Arab Emirates$33 million · 1.2%
9. Uzbekistan–Singapore$18 million · 0.67%
10. Uzbekistan–Malaysia$12 million · 0.46%

The products with the highest estimated value in 2024, with their share of the total through the chokepoint.

1. Cars$182 million · 6.7%
2. Auto parts$148 million · 5.4%
3. Natural gas and LPG$146 million · 5.4%
4. Cotton yarn$80 million · 2.9%
5. Refined copper$79 million · 2.9%
6. Refined petroleum$70 million · 2.6%
7. Medicines in measured doses or retail packs$55 million · 2%
8. Diodes, transistors and solar cells$51 million · 1.9%
9. Sorting and crushing machines$37 million · 1.4%
10. Dried legumes (beans, lentils, peas)$37 million · 1.4%

• China–Uzbekistan: +6,726 nautical miles, ≈ 20 days more at 14 knots, via the Strait of Malacca and Singapore; the Cape of Good Hope; the Strait of Gibraltar; the Dardanelles; and the Bosporus
• Russia–Uzbekistan: +6,725 nautical miles, ≈ 20 days more at 14 knots, via the Strait of Malacca and Singapore; the Cape of Good Hope; the Strait of Gibraltar; the Dardanelles; and the Bosporus
• South Korea–Uzbekistan: +6,777 nautical miles, ≈ 20 days more at 14 knots, via the Strait of Malacca and Singapore; the Cape of Good Hope; the Strait of Gibraltar; the Dardanelles; and the Bosporus
• India–Uzbekistan: +7,815 nautical miles, ≈ 23.5 days more at 14 knots, via the Cape of Good Hope, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Dardanelles and the Bosporus
• Iran–Uzbekistan: +8,220 nautical miles, ≈ 24.5 days more at 14 knots, via the Strait of Hormuz, the Cape of Good Hope, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Dardanelles and the Bosporus

Estimated sailing detour, without costs, waiting or port capacity.

Batumi (100%)

Each port with the weight it receives from the country’s trade, based on where its GDP is generated and which coast is closest.

• See Bab-el-Mandeb Strait
• Uzbekistan trade

Other chokepoints it uses

• Turkish Straits (Bosporus and Dardanelles) · 81%
• Strait of Gibraltar · 69%
• Strait of Malacca and Singapore · 46%
• Cape of Good Hope · 44%
• Strait of Dover · 21%
• Øresund · 14%
• Suez Canal · 9%

Sources and licenses

• CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
• World Bank, Global Shipping Traffic Density · CC BY 4.0 (route network derived by this site)
• World Port Index (NGA) · Public domain (US Government work)
• Natural Earth · Public domain
• Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (split between ports done by this site)

Methodology

We estimate the value crossing each chokepoint from BACI trade that travels by sea according to our mode heuristic, split between each country’s ports by where its GDP is generated and which coast is closest, and routed over our own sea network. It is an estimate, not a count of ships. It covers 99.9% of seaborne trade. The approach follows Verschuur, Lumma and Hall (Nature Communications, 2025). Data up to 2024.