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Strait of Hormuz: how much trade passes through (2024 estimate)

In 2024, an estimated $861.5 billion of trade passed through the Strait of Hormuz, 7% of seaborne trade. Compared with 2019, the estimate rose 18%. The countries that depend on it most are Iraq (100%), Iran (98%) and Qatar (97%), by the share of their seaborne trade that crosses it.

Summary

Estimated value
$861.5billion
Of seaborne trade
7%
Rank among the eleven chokepoints
5th

Trend of the estimated value

Estimated value per year

The estimated value through the Strait of Hormuz rose 18% between 2019 and 2024

Value in USD billions

  • Strait of Hormuz 861

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearEstimated valueOf seaborne trade
1995$89.4 billion3.3%
1996$104.9 billion3.6%
1997$117.1 billion3.9%
1998$100.1 billion3.5%
1999$116.8 billion3.9%
2000$167 billion5.1%
2001$159 billion4.9%
2002$157.7 billion4.6%
2003$198 billion5%
2004$262.1 billion5.3%
2005$335.9 billion5.9%
2006$446.9 billion6.8%
2007$525.3 billion6.9%
2008$757 billion8.4%
2009$496.2 billion7.4%
2010$667.9 billion7.9%
2011$886.9 billion8.8%
2012$931.1 billion9.2%
2013$897.9 billion8.9%
2014$879.2 billion8.7%
2015$618.1 billion7.1%
2016$552.3 billion6.7%
2017$678.5 billion7.3%
2018$804.9 billion7.8%
2019$729.3 billion7.3%
2020$558 billion6.3%
2021$782 billion6.9%
2022$1.1 trillion8.1%
2023$944.5 billion7.6%
2024$861.5 billion7%

The routes carrying the most value through the chokepoint

Estimated sea routes from this site’s network; thickness follows value.

Countries that depend on it most

Share of their seaborne trade that crosses the chokepoint

  1. Iraq$144.3 billion · 99.6%
  2. Iran$25.5 billion · 98%
  3. Qatar$105.3 billion · 97%
  4. Kuwait$83.3 billion · 94.3%
  5. United Arab Emirates$316.2 billion · 84%
  6. Bahrain$22 billion · 73.9%
  7. Saudi Arabia$166.7 billion · 38.2%
  8. Seychelles$665 million · 30.1%
  9. Pakistan$17.2 billion · 24%
  10. India$127.4 billion · 17.8%
  11. Kenya$3.9 billion · 15.1%
  12. Uganda$1.5 billion · 14%
  13. Maldives$449 million · 12.3%
  14. Malawi$364 million · 11.6%
  15. Tanzania$2.1 billion · 10.8%
  16. Mauritius$737 million · 9.3%
  17. South Korea$74.2 billion · 8.9%
  18. Mauritania$681 million · 8.5%
  19. Japan$77 billion · 8.3%
  20. Singapore$25.3 billion · 8%

The largest by value through it

  1. United Arab Emirates$316.2 billion · 84%
  2. China$242.3 billion · 7.2%
  3. Saudi Arabia$166.7 billion · 38.2%
  4. Iraq$144.3 billion · 99.6%
  5. India$127.4 billion · 17.8%
  6. Qatar$105.3 billion · 97%
  7. Kuwait$83.3 billion · 94.3%
  8. Japan$77 billion · 8.3%
  9. South Korea$74.2 billion · 8.9%
  10. United States$30.7 billion · 1.4%

What crosses it

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

  1. Crude petroleum$336.4 billion · 39.1%
  2. Refined petroleum$105.2 billion · 12.2%
  3. Natural gas and LPG$64.9 billion · 7.5%
  4. Cars$31.1 billion · 3.6%
  5. Polyethylene$11.8 billion · 1.4%
  6. Unwrought aluminum$11.5 billion · 1.3%
  7. Auto parts$6.2 billion · 0.72%
  8. Alcohols$5.7 billion · 0.66%
  9. Rice$4.7 billion · 0.54%
  10. Trucks$4 billion · 0.47%

If it closes

No way out by sea

Iraq, Iran and Qatar have no other way out by sea: more than 95% of their seaborne trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Alternative oil and gas pipelines exist; we do not quantify them.

Country pairs that cross it

Estimated value through the chokepoint and the share of each pair’s seaborne trade that crosses it.

  1. United Arab Emirates–China$75.9 billion · 86%
  2. China–Saudi Arabia$57.6 billion · 56.6%
  3. China–Iraq$53.9 billion · 100%
  4. United Arab Emirates–India$42.8 billion · 86%
  5. United Arab Emirates–Japan$36.8 billion · 86%
  6. India–Iraq$33 billion · 100%
  7. India–Saudi Arabia$24 billion · 60.1%
  8. China–Qatar$23.6 billion · 100%
  9. Japan–Saudi Arabia$21 billion · 56.6%
  10. South Korea–Saudi Arabia$20.8 billion · 56.6%

Compare with

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; seaborne trade is 54% of world trade by value. The approach follows Verschuur, Lumma and Hall (Nature Communications, 2025). Data up to 2024.

All maritime chokepoints