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How much of Brazil’s trade passes through the Strait of Malacca and Singapore?

In 2024, an estimated $201 billion of Brazil’s trade passed through the Strait of Malacca and Singapore, 39.6% of its seaborne trade. That is $126.2 billion of exports and $74.8 billion of imports. The partners with the most trade through it are China, South Korea and Singapore.

Summary

Estimated value
$201billion
Of its seaborne trade
39.6%
Exports
$126.2billion
Imports
$74.8billion

Trend

Estimated value per year

Brazil’s estimated trade through the Strait of Malacca and Singapore rose 66% between 2019 and 2024

Value in USD billions

  • Brazil 201

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearEstimated valueOf its seaborne trade
1995$7.7 billion10.1%
1996$8.2 billion10.8%
1997$8.6 billion10.4%
1998$7.2 billion9.3%
1999$6 billion8.4%
2000$7.5 billion9.5%
2001$8.5 billion10.1%
2002$9.3 billion10.8%
2003$12.6 billion12.5%
2004$17.4 billion13.3%
2005$20.7 billion13.5%
2006$25.7 billion14.2%
2007$39.7 billion17.6%
2008$55.3 billion18.9%
2009$50.9 billion23.4%
2010$75.9 billion25.3%
2011$101.2 billion26.9%
2012$99.7 billion27.5%
2013$106.9 billion29.4%
2014$99.9 billion28.4%
2015$83.1 billion29.4%
2016$75.9 billion30.2%
2017$94.7 billion31.7%
2018$116.5 billion34.9%
2019$121 billion36.4%
2020$124 billion40.6%
2021$166.9 billion39.5%
2022$185.4 billion36%
2023$194.2 billion39.4%
2024$201 billion39.6%

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. Brazil–China$163.5 billion · 81.3%
  2. Brazil–South Korea$9.7 billion · 4.8%
  3. Brazil–Singapore$7.5 billion · 3.7%
  4. Brazil–Thailand$5.7 billion · 2.8%
  5. Brazil–Vietnam$5.6 billion · 2.8%
  6. Brazil–Taiwan$3.3 billion · 1.7%
  7. Brazil–Philippines$2.4 billion · 1.2%
  8. Brazil–Hong Kong$2.3 billion · 1.1%
  9. Brazil–Malaysia$710 million · 0.35%
  10. Brazil–Cambodia$174 million · 0.09%

What crosses it

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

  1. Soybeans$35.2 billion · 17.5%
  2. Crude petroleum$24 billion · 11.9%
  3. Iron ore$23.4 billion · 11.6%
  4. Frozen beef$6.6 billion · 3.3%
  5. Chemical wood pulp$4.7 billion · 2.3%
  6. Refined petroleum$3.8 billion · 1.9%
  7. Cars$3.8 billion · 1.9%
  8. Corn$2.9 billion · 1.5%
  9. Diodes, transistors and solar cells$2.9 billion · 1.5%
  10. Raw cotton$2.9 billion · 1.5%

If it closes

  • Brazil–China: +11 nautical miles, less than half a day more at 14 knots, via the Cape of Good Hope

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

Reference ports

Santos (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