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By Niccolo Conte | Graphics/Design: Anna Diederichs
Key Takeaways
- China receives 37.7% of all oil exports that pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the most of any country.
- Asian countries are most affected by a closure of the strait, receiving 89.2% of the Strait’s crude oil and condensate flows.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, with both exporters and importers of crude oil heavily reliant on flows through the Strait.
This visualization maps which countries export crude oil and condensate through the Strait of Hormuz—and, more importantly, which countries import those flows. The data is from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and is for Q1 2025.
Which Countries Export Oil Through the Strait of Hormuz?
Oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz are heavily concentrated among a few Gulf producers. Saudi Arabia accounts for the largest share of crude and condensate exports transiting the strait, at 37.2% of the total.
The data table below breaks down the origin countries and their shares of crude oil and condensate exports through the Strait of Hormuz as of Q1 2025:
Iraq follows with 22.8%, while the United Arab Emirates contributes 12.9%. Iran (10.6%) and Kuwait (10.1%) round out the top five exporters. Together, these five countries account for 93.6% of all crude and condensate volumes moving through the strait.
This concentration underscores how closely global oil markets are tied to production in the Persian Gulf.
With recent military conflict in the Middle East and Iran’s announcement that it would attack any ship passing through the Strait, more than 20% of global oil flows are now at risk.
The Countries Reliant on Oil From the Strait of Hormuz
On the demand side, Asia is overwhelmingly reliant on oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Asian countries collectively receive 89.2% of the crude oil and condensate that transit the waterway.
The data table below shows the destination countries and their shares of crude oil and condensate exports through the Strait of Hormuz as of Q1 2025:
China alone accounts for 37.7% of total flows—more than any other country by a wide margin. India is the second-largest destination at 14.7%, followed by South Korea at 12.0% and Japan at 10.9%. Other Asian countries make up 13.9% of crude oil and condensate flows that pass through the Strait.
In contrast, the United States receives just 2.5% of these flows, reflecting its increased domestic production and diversified import sources.
Any closure or disruption of the Strait of Hormuz would disproportionately impact Asian economies, particularly China and India, which together receive over half of all volumes passing through the strait.
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