Summary
- Estimated value
- $203.5billion
- Of its seaborne trade
- 54.1%
- Exports
- $129.1billion
- Imports
- $74.4billion
Trend
Estimated value per year
The United Arab Emirates’ estimated trade through the Strait of Malacca and Singapore rose 56% between 2019 and 2024
Value in USD billions
- United Arab Emirates 204
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Estimated value | Of its seaborne trade |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $21.6 billion | 62.5% |
| 1996 | $24.8 billion | 63% |
| 1997 | $27.7 billion | 63.2% |
| 1998 | $21.5 billion | 55.4% |
| 1999 | $22.5 billion | 54.3% |
| 2000 | $34.2 billion | 63.8% |
| 2001 | $32.2 billion | 58.8% |
| 2002 | $31.2 billion | 55% |
| 2003 | $39.8 billion | 55.1% |
| 2004 | $51.7 billion | 55% |
| 2005 | $63.5 billion | 53.4% |
| 2006 | $87.6 billion | 56.4% |
| 2007 | $92.6 billion | 51.2% |
| 2008 | $138.6 billion | 54.4% |
| 2009 | $81.4 billion | 49.9% |
| 2010 | $104.7 billion | 44.2% |
| 2011 | $146.6 billion | 48.4% |
| 2012 | $161.9 billion | 50.8% |
| 2013 | $156 billion | 52.4% |
| 2014 | $152.4 billion | 49.9% |
| 2015 | $110.7 billion | 46.8% |
| 2016 | $92.2 billion | 42.9% |
| 2017 | $117.5 billion | 43% |
| 2018 | $137.6 billion | 44.9% |
| 2019 | $130.9 billion | 42.9% |
| 2020 | $100.9 billion | 41.1% |
| 2021 | $145.8 billion | 42.9% |
| 2022 | $213.6 billion | 45.3% |
| 2023 | $199.4 billion | 46.2% |
| 2024 | $203.5 billion | 54.1% |
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.
What crosses it
The products with the highest estimated value in 2024, with their share of the total through the chokepoint.
If it closes
- United Arab Emirates–China: +747 nautical miles, ≈ 2 days more at 14 knots, via the Strait of Hormuz
- United Arab Emirates–Japan: +717 nautical miles, ≈ 2 days more at 14 knots, via the Strait of Hormuz
Estimated sailing detour, without costs, waiting or port capacity.
Reference ports
Jebel Ali (86%) and Khor Fakkan (14%)
Each port with the weight it receives from the country’s trade, based on where its GDP is generated and which coast is closest.
Keep reading
Other chokepoints it uses
Sources and method
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.