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

In 2024, an estimated $982 billion of Germany’s trade passed through the Strait of Dover, 78.3% of its seaborne trade. That is $502.3 billion of exports and $479.7 billion of imports. The partners with the most trade through it are China, Italy and the United States.

Summary

Estimated value
$982billion
Of its seaborne trade
78.3%
Exports
$502.3billion
Imports
$479.7billion

Trend

Estimated value per year

Germany’s estimated trade through the Strait of Dover rose 14% between 2019 and 2024

Value in USD billions

  • Germany 982

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearEstimated valueOf its seaborne trade
1995$262.1 billion71.2%
1996$275.9 billion71.5%
1997$292 billion71.5%
1998$298.1 billion72.2%
1999$303 billion72.9%
2000$318.4 billion72.2%
2001$325.1 billion72.2%
2002$353.1 billion72.8%
2003$410 billion73.5%
2004$478.6 billion73.7%
2005$534.2 billion73.3%
2006$615.7 billion73.2%
2007$700.8 billion74.2%
2008$776.3 billion75.9%
2009$598.6 billion76%
2010$717.4 billion75.6%
2011$849.9 billion77.1%
2012$799.2 billion76.7%
2013$821 billion76.4%
2014$841.6 billion76.1%
2015$764.6 billion75.5%
2016$762.1 billion76.4%
2017$823.9 billion76.2%
2018$883.9 billion76.5%
2019$863.1 billion76.9%
2020$791.3 billion77.9%
2021$938.3 billion77%
2022$1 trillion75.9%
2023$1 trillion78.1%
2024$982 billion78.3%

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. Germany–China$155.7 billion · 15.9%
  2. Germany–Italy$117.3 billion · 11.9%
  3. Germany–United States$108 billion · 11%
  4. Germany–Spain$73.4 billion · 7.5%
  5. Germany–Hungary$46 billion · 4.7%
  6. Germany–Turkey$43 billion · 4.4%
  7. Germany–Slovakia$34.5 billion · 3.5%
  8. Germany–Romania$32.7 billion · 3.3%
  9. Germany–India$20.9 billion · 2.1%
  10. Germany–South Korea$18.3 billion · 1.9%

What crosses it

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

  1. Cars$138.9 billion · 14.2%
  2. Auto parts$63 billion · 6.4%
  3. Crude petroleum$27.7 billion · 2.8%
  4. Batteries$17.5 billion · 1.8%
  5. Cables and wire$13.8 billion · 1.4%
  6. Other industrial machines$11.2 billion · 1.1%
  7. Transmission shafts, gears and gearboxes$10.8 billion · 1.1%
  8. Trucks$10.8 billion · 1.1%
  9. Engine parts$10.2 billion · 1%
  10. Other plastic articles$9.9 billion · 1%

If it closes

  • China–Germany: +533 nautical miles, ≈ 1.5 days more at 14 knots, via the Strait of Malacca and Singapore; the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait; the Suez Canal; and the Strait of Gibraltar
  • Germany–Italy: +549 nautical miles, ≈ 1.5 days more at 14 knots, via the Strait of Gibraltar
  • Germany–United States: +2 nautical miles, less than half a day more at 14 knots
  • Germany–Spain: +599 nautical miles, ≈ 2 days more at 14 knots
  • Germany–Hungary: +550 nautical miles, ≈ 1.5 days more at 14 knots, via the Strait of Gibraltar

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

Reference ports

Hamburg (88%) and Rostock (12%)

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