Summary
- Estimated value
- $770.5billion
- Of seaborne trade
- 6.3%
- Rank among the eleven chokepoints
- 6th
Trend of the estimated value
Estimated value per year
The estimated value through the Turkish Straits rose 23% between 2019 and 2024
Value in USD billions
- Turkish Straits 771
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Estimated value | Of seaborne trade |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $83.5 billion | 3.1% |
| 1996 | $109.1 billion | 3.8% |
| 1997 | $116.7 billion | 3.9% |
| 1998 | $110.4 billion | 3.8% |
| 1999 | $102.5 billion | 3.4% |
| 2000 | $126 billion | 3.8% |
| 2001 | $129.1 billion | 4% |
| 2002 | $150.5 billion | 4.3% |
| 2003 | $189.7 billion | 4.7% |
| 2004 | $255.5 billion | 5.2% |
| 2005 | $311.9 billion | 5.5% |
| 2006 | $375.5 billion | 5.7% |
| 2007 | $459.1 billion | 6% |
| 2008 | $584.2 billion | 6.5% |
| 2009 | $397 billion | 5.9% |
| 2010 | $489.4 billion | 5.8% |
| 2011 | $601.8 billion | 6% |
| 2012 | $611.1 billion | 6% |
| 2013 | $623.8 billion | 6.2% |
| 2014 | $626.2 billion | 6.2% |
| 2015 | $506.1 billion | 5.8% |
| 2016 | $493.6 billion | 6% |
| 2017 | $580 billion | 6.2% |
| 2018 | $649.6 billion | 6.3% |
| 2019 | $625.1 billion | 6.3% |
| 2020 | $552.9 billion | 6.3% |
| 2021 | $736.7 billion | 6.5% |
| 2022 | $820.7 billion | 6.1% |
| 2023 | $779.7 billion | 6.3% |
| 2024 | $770.5 billion | 6.3% |
The routes carrying the most value through the chokepoint
Countries that depend on it most
Share of their seaborne trade that crosses the chokepoint
The largest by value through it
What crosses it
The products with the highest estimated value in 2024, with their share of the total through the chokepoint.
If it closes
No way out by sea
The Turkish Straits have no alternative sea passage: if it closed, the trade that crosses it would have no other sea route. 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.
Compare with
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; seaborne trade is 54% of world trade by value. The approach follows Verschuur, Lumma and Hall (Nature Communications, 2025). Data up to 2024.
The Bosporus and the Dardanelles are counted together: they are the two gates between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.