This is really a high-quality and inspiring visualization Terje Tofteberg. Love it!
Yeah, would love to see a companion chart that shows how this has changed over time. From US/Europe to Asia. Also be cool to understand if this is just the industrial growth of Asia or if other supplies have come online as well (US shale revolution etc)
Summary
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Oil & gas sankey flow through the Strait of Hormuz
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The Choking of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz is just 21 miles wide, but before the war it carried nearly a third of the world's seaborne oil and gas. The choking off of this supply has rippled across the global economy.
Key facts
- 19 million barrels per day of oil, natural gas and petroleum products were flowing through the strait — roughly a third of all seaborne energy trade
- Every country is heavily dependent on Gulf oil and gas, but Asian economies are most exposed: China (29%), India (18%), Japan and South Korea (18% combined)
- Europe and the United States also rely on this route for 12% and 3% of flows respectively
- Seven Gulf states — Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain — funnel their exports through this single chokepoint
- Experts have called the current situation a "systemic collapse" of energy security not seen in decades
- The price shock is depleting foreign currency reserves and driving inflation in import-dependent nations. In Bangladesh, garment factories have begun to idle. In Pakistan, the government has imposed rolling blackouts.
- Saudi Arabia alone accounts for 33% of all flows through the strait — the single largest contributor
Source: New York Times analysis of Kpler data, 2025. Analysis includes oil, natural gas and petroleum products.