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How much of Belgium’s trade passes through the Strait of Dover?

In 2024, an estimated $200.7 billion of Belgium’s trade passed through the Strait of Dover, 58.3% of its seaborne trade. That is $97.6 billion of exports and $103.1 billion of imports. The partners with the most trade through it are Italy, the United States and Spain.

Summary

Estimated value
$200.7billion
Of its seaborne trade
58.3%
Exports
$97.6billion
Imports
$103.1billion

Trend

Estimated value per year

Belgium’s estimated trade through the Strait of Dover rose 15% between 2019 and 2024

Value in USD billions

  • Belgium 201

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearEstimated valueOf its seaborne trade
1995$87.2 billion62.4%
1996$90.6 billion62.4%
1997$98.7 billion63.2%
1998$100.5 billion63%
1999$99.4 billion64%
2000$104.9 billion64.2%
2001$102.9 billion63.6%
2002$112.5 billion64.1%
2003$125.7 billion63.6%
2004$152.6 billion64.1%
2005$168.2 billion64.2%
2006$185.8 billion63.1%
2007$198.1 billion62.7%
2008$214 billion62.8%
2009$169.6 billion64.7%
2010$154.1 billion59.3%
2011$174.8 billion60.6%
2012$166.7 billion61%
2013$171.3 billion59.7%
2014$170.5 billion57.8%
2015$150.2 billion57.9%
2016$152.2 billion58.3%
2017$166 billion58%
2018$183.4 billion58.4%
2019$175.1 billion58.2%
2020$156.3 billion58.6%
2021$198.3 billion59.1%
2022$230.1 billion58.9%
2023$217.6 billion59.3%
2024$200.7 billion58.3%

Partners whose trade crosses it

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. Belgium–Italy$22.7 billion · 11.3%
  2. Belgium–United States$19.5 billion · 9.7%
  3. Belgium–Spain$16.4 billion · 8.2%
  4. Belgium–China$15.5 billion · 7.7%
  5. Belgium–France$8.4 billion · 4.2%
  6. Belgium–Japan$7.8 billion · 3.9%
  7. Belgium–Turkey$7.3 billion · 3.6%
  8. Belgium–Ireland$5.7 billion · 2.9%
  9. Belgium–Nigeria$4.8 billion · 2.4%
  10. Belgium–Austria$4.5 billion · 2.3%

What crosses it

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

  1. Refined petroleum$20.3 billion · 10.1%
  2. Cars$19.9 billion · 9.9%
  3. Natural gas and LPG$3.7 billion · 1.8%
  4. Auto parts$3.4 billion · 1.7%
  5. Polyethylene$3.1 billion · 1.6%
  6. Bulk medicines$2.5 billion · 1.3%
  7. Frozen vegetables$2.4 billion · 1.2%
  8. Trucks$2.3 billion · 1.2%
  9. Chocolate$2 billion · 1%
  10. Tractors$1.9 billion · 0.94%

If it closes

  • Belgium–Italy: +772 nautical miles, ≈ 2.5 days more at 14 knots, via the Strait of Gibraltar
  • Belgium–United States: +225 nautical miles, ≈ 0.5 days more at 14 knots

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

Reference ports

Antwerp (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.

Other chokepoints it uses

Sources and method

Sources and licenses

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.

All maritime chokepoints