Data sources: EIA, IEA, S&P Global, MEES, WITS/Comtrade. Data 2024–2026.

Abbreviations: SPR = Strategic Petroleum Reserve (government-held oil stocks for supply emergencies).

Executive Summary

The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most critical oil chokepoint, with ~20 Mbd of crude and significant LNG transiting to Asia. This report reviews all data tables and ranks 12 Asian countries by vulnerability to disruption at Hormuz for oil and gas.

Two dimensions of vulnerability:

  1. Within-country (own requirement): How sensitive is each country to its own energy needs? High Hormuz % + low pivot = high sensitivity.
  2. Between-country (regional share): How does each country’s dependence compare to others? Share of total Asia oil/gas through Hormuz shows relative exposure in the region.

Key findings:

  • Pakistan and Singapore face the highest vulnerability (Catastrophic/Extreme) with limited ability to pivot.
  • China accounts for the largest share of Asia’s Hormuz oil (29%) and gas (41%) transit—even with moderate % exposure.
  • Japan has the highest within-country oil sensitivity (95%) but China and India move more volume through the chokepoint.
  • Vietnam is least dependent on the region: <1% of Asia’s Hormuz oil and gas.

1. Table Review

1.1 Total Imports by Country

Country Region Oil (Mbd) Gas (Bcm) Oil cons. Gas cons.
China East Asia 11.10 170.0 14.0 395
Japan East Asia 2.80 66.0 4.5 105
India South Asia 4.90 34.0 5.5 65
South Korea East Asia 2.30 58.0 2.3 58
Thailand Southeast Asia 1.20 32.0 1.2 55
Taiwan East Asia 1.00 25.0 1.0 25
Indonesia Southeast Asia 0.90 20.0 1.6 55
Singapore Southeast Asia 1.40 14.0 1.4 14
Philippines Southeast Asia 0.45 12.0 0.45 15
Vietnam Southeast Asia 0.50 10.0 0.5 12
Bangladesh South Asia 0.35 17.0 0.35 32
Pakistan South Asia 0.40 7.0 0.45 38
Total 27.20 459.0

1.2 Hormuz Transit: Three Methods

Summary: No single data source gives a complete picture of oil and gas transiting the Strait of Hormuz. We show three methods: A (supplier breakdown—traceable to fuel-sources), B (exposure % × total imports—internally consistent), and C (reported transit from EIA/IEA—agency figures). Methods B and C use “agency estimates” from EIA, IEA, S&P Global, MEES, and WITS/Comtrade. They can diverge because of different definitions, routing assumptions, or vintages.

Why Three Methods?

No single data source provides a complete picture of how much oil and gas transits the Strait of Hormuz. Different agencies use different definitions, methodologies, and base years. Showing all three methods lets readers:

  • Compare sources and understand where estimates diverge
  • Trace numbers back to supplier-level data (Method A) or agency estimates (Methods B, C)
  • Choose the right metric for their use case—e.g. traceable volumes (A) vs. internally consistent exposure (B) vs. direct agency figures (C)

What Each Method Measures

Method What is measured Data source Use when
A. Supplier breakdown Sum of volumes from suppliers flagged hormuz: true—i.e. shipments that physically transit the Strait (Qatar, Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, etc.) fuel-sources.js (supplier-by-supplier import data) You need traceable, auditable volumes tied to specific origins
B. Percentage × total hormuzExposure% (from asia-data) × total imports (from fuel-sources). Derives volume from the exposure percentage and total imports asia-data (exposure %) × fuel-sources (totals) You want numbers that are internally consistent with total imports and exposure %
C. Reported transit Raw crudeThroughHormuzMbd / lngThroughHormuzBcm from asia-data—direct EIA/IEA-style transit estimates asia-data.js You want the agency’s own transit estimate, independent of supplier breakdown

Why they differ: Method A counts only suppliers explicitly tagged as transiting Hormuz; some flows may be in “Other.” Methods B and C use agency estimates that can include different routing assumptions, re-exports, or vintages. For Japan gas: A = 5.2 Bcm (Qatar + Oman only), B = 9.9 Bcm (15% × 66), C = 8 Bcm (reported)—illustrating the range.

Sources for Methods B and C (“agency estimates”)

“Agency estimates” means figures published by international energy agencies and analysts, compiled into asia-data.js. The main sources:

Agency What it provides Verification link
EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration) Transit volumes through chokepoints, exposure %. World Oil Transit Chokepoints report. EIA Chokepoints 2025
IEA (International Energy Agency) Energy statistics, country profiles, Southeast Asia Energy Outlook. Import/export breakdowns. IEA Data Browser
S&P Global Market analysis, country-level energy data, GCC/Hormuz exposure. S&P Commodity Insights
MEES (Middle East Economic Survey) Regional oil/gas flows, supplier breakdowns. MEES
WITS/Comtrade UN trade data: imports by partner country. WITS Japan crude

Method A uses fuel-sources.js, which draws on WITS/Comtrade, MEES, Reuters, and EIA Country Briefs. Full verification links: sources.html.

Three Methods: Comparison Table

Country A Oil A Gas B Oil B Gas C Oil C Gas
Japan 2.65 5.2 2.66 9.9 2.7 8
South Korea 2.01 19.8 1.61 8.1 1.6 5
China 4.45 51.0 4.44 51.0 4.4 25
India 2.06 20.4 2.94 18.0 3.2 18
Singapore 1.19 3.5 1.19 2.1 1.2 2
Thailand 0.78 9.6 0.78 8.0 0.9 8
Taiwan 0.85 6.3 0.45 7.5 0.5 5
Pakistan 0.34 6.9 0.34 6.9 0.35 7
Bangladesh 0.25 13.6 0.14 12.2 0.15 12
Indonesia 0.45 3.0 0.41 4.0 0.4 4
Philippines 0.27 4.2 0.16 3.0 0.2 3
Vietnam 0 1.5 0.05 1.0 0.1 1

Method A: Supplier breakdown (hormuz:true). Method B: hormuzExposure% × total. Method C: Reported transit (asia-data). Units: Mbd (oil), Bcm (gas).

1.3 Regional Share: Between-Country Dependence

Each country’s share of total Asia oil/gas imports and of total Asia volume through Hormuz.

Country % Oil imports % Gas imports % Oil thru H. % Gas thru H.
China 41 37 29 41
India 18 7 19 15
Japan 10 14 18 8
South Korea 8 13 11 7
Thailand 4 7 5 6
Singapore 5 3 8 2
Taiwan 4 5 3 6
Indonesia 3 4 3 3
Bangladesh 1 4 1 10
Pakistan 1 2 2 6
Philippines 2 3 1 2
Vietnam 2 2 <1 1

Totals: 27.2 Mbd oil, 459 Bcm gas imports; 15.2 Mbd oil, 123.7 Bcm gas through Hormuz (Method B).

Insight: China and India together account for 48% of Asia’s oil and 56% of Asia’s gas transiting Hormuz.

1.4 Exposure Percentages & Flexibility

Country Hormuz crude % Hormuz LNG % Pivot (1–10) Vuln. level
Pakistan 85 99 2 Catastrophic
Singapore 85 15 1 Extreme
Japan 95 15 6 Extreme
Bangladesh 40 72 3 High
Thailand 65 25 5 High
India 60 53 8 High
South Korea 70 14 5 High
Taiwan 45 30 4 High
China 40 30 9 Moderate
Indonesia 45 20 6 Moderate
Philippines 35 25 4 Moderate
Vietnam 10 10 7 Moderate

2. Oil Vulnerability Ranking

2.1 Within-Country (Own Requirement)

Ranking by sensitivity to disruption of own oil supply.

Rank Country Crude % Oil at risk (Mbd) Pivot Rationale
1 Japan 95 2.66 6 Highest %; SPR and nuclear buffer
2 Singapore 85 1.19 1 Near-total ME crude; minimal pivot
3 Pakistan 85 0.34 2 High % but small volume
4 South Korea 70 1.61 5 High exposure; nuclear helps
5 Thailand 65 0.78 5 Significant exposure
6 India 60 2.94 8 Russian crude and coal buffer
7 Taiwan 45 0.45 4 Moderate; 100% seaborne
8 Indonesia 45 0.41 6 Domestic production
9 China 40 4.44 9 Russian pipelines; diversified
10 Bangladesh 40 0.14 3 Lower oil; limited pivot
11 Philippines 35 0.16 4 Secondary shock via Singapore
12 Vietnam 10 0.05 7 Minimal direct exposure

2.2 Between-Country (Regional Share)

Ranking by share of total Asia oil transiting Hormuz.

Rank Country Oil thru H. (Mbd) % Asia total % own imports
1 China 4.44 29 40
2 India 2.94 19 60
3 Japan 2.66 18 95
4 South Korea 1.61 11 70
5 Singapore 1.19 8 85
6 Thailand 0.78 5 65
7 Taiwan 0.45 3 45
8 Indonesia 0.41 3 45
9 Pakistan 0.34 2 85
10 Bangladesh 0.14 1 40
11 Philippines 0.16 1 35
12 Vietnam 0.05 <1 10

Insight: China’s 29% share means a Hormuz blockage hits China’s oil supply more than any other country in absolute terms.

3. Gas (LNG) Vulnerability Ranking

3.1 Within-Country (Own Requirement)

Rank Country LNG % Gas at risk (Bcm) Pivot Rationale
1 Pakistan 99 6.9 2 99% from Qatar; no buffer
2 Bangladesh 72 12.2 3 High % and volume
3 India 53 18.0 8 USA/Nigeria diversify
4 China 30 51.0 9 Russian pipeline; Australia
5 Taiwan 30 7.5 4 100% seaborne
6 Thailand 25 8.0 5 Domestic/Myanmar gas
7 Philippines 25 3.0 4 Qatar dominant
8 Indonesia 20 4.0 6 60% domestic
9 Japan 15 9.9 6 Australia, Malaysia, USA
10 Singapore 15 2.1 1 Malaysia/Indonesia primary
11 South Korea 14 8.1 5 Australia largest
12 Vietnam 10 1.0 7 70% domestic

3.2 Between-Country (Regional Share)

Rank Country Gas thru H. (Bcm) % Asia total % own imports
1 China 51.0 41 30
2 India 18.0 15 53
3 Bangladesh 12.2 10 72
4 Japan 9.9 8 15
5 South Korea 8.1 7 14
6 Thailand 8.0 6 25
7 Taiwan 7.5 6 30
8 Pakistan 6.9 6 99
9 Indonesia 4.0 3 20
10 Philippines 3.0 2 25
11 Singapore 2.1 2 15
12 Vietnam 1.0 1 10

Insight: China accounts for 41% of Asia’s LNG through Hormuz. Pakistan has highest % of own imports (99%) but only 6% of regional volume.

4. Combined Rankings

How the ranking system works:

Objective, formula-based rankings:

  • Oil rank (2.1): Ranked by Hormuz crude exposure % (share of own oil imports through Hormuz), descending. Higher % = rank 1 (most vulnerable).
  • Gas rank (3.1): Ranked by Hormuz LNG exposure %, descending. Higher % = rank 1.
  • Between-country combined share (4.2): Arithmetic mean of % oil through Hormuz and % gas through Hormuz. E.g. China: (29 + 41) / 2 = 35. Countries ranked by this value descending (higher = more of regional transit at risk).

Judgment-based ranking:

  • Within-country combined (4.1): No strict formula. Composite ranking considers both oil and gas ranks and pivot score. Countries with severe exposure in either dimension and low ability to pivot rank higher. E.g. Japan ranks 1 on oil but 3 combined because of SPR and nuclear buffer (pivot 6). Pakistan ranks 1 because gas exposure is 99% with pivot 2. This ordering is expert judgment, not a reproducible formula.

4.1 Within-Country (Own Requirement)

Rank Country Oil rank Gas rank Combined Vuln. level
1 Pakistan 3 1 1 Catastrophic
2 Singapore 2 10 2 Extreme
3 Japan 1 9 3 Extreme
4 Bangladesh 10 2 4 High
5 South Korea 4 11 5 High
6 India 6 3 6 High
7 Thailand 5 6 7 High
8 Taiwan 7 5 8 High
9 Indonesia 8 8 9 Moderate
10 Philippines 11 7 10 Moderate
11 China 9 4 11 Moderate
12 Vietnam 12 12 12 Moderate

4.2 Between-Country (Regional Share)

Rank Country % Oil thru H. % Gas thru H. Combined share
1 China 29 41 35
2 India 19 15 17
3 Japan 18 8 13
4 South Korea 11 7 9
5 Bangladesh 1 10 6
6 Singapore 8 2 5
7 Thailand 5 6 6
8 Taiwan 3 6 5
9 Pakistan 2 6 4
10 Indonesia 3 3 3
11 Philippines 1 2 2
12 Vietnam <1 1 <1

Combined share = average of oil and gas shares.

Summary: China and India together represent 52% of Asia’s combined oil+gas transit through Hormuz.

5. Key Tables Summary

Table Purpose
Total imports Oil (Mbd) and gas (Bcm) from fuel-sources
Hormuz three methods A = supplier sum, B = %×total, C = reported transit
Regional share % of total Asia oil/gas through Hormuz
Exposure % Share of own imports through Hormuz
Pivot score Ability to switch to alternatives (1–10)
Vulnerability level Catastrophic / Extreme / High / Moderate

6. Recommendations

By within-country vulnerability:

  1. Pakistan: Diversify LNG sources beyond Qatar.
  2. Singapore: Maintain strategic reserves and regional coordination.
  3. Japan: Continue diversification; SPR and nuclear buffer.
  4. Bangladesh: Explore pipeline and regional options.
  5. India: LNG diversification needed.

By between-country exposure:

  1. China: 35% of Asia’s combined transit; volume at risk is largest.
  2. India: 17% of regional transit.
  3. Japan: 13% of regional transit.
  4. Vietnam: Lower exposure; monitor secondary price shocks.

Report from Energy Vulnerability Dashboard. See sources.html for verification links.