The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has revealed that approximately 20% of global LNG trade transited the Strait of Hormuz, primarily from Qatar, in 2024. The strait is a critical route for oil and petroleum products as well.
Qatar exported about 9.3 billion ft3/d of LNG through the Strait of Hormuz in 2024, and the UAE exported about 0.7 billion ft3/d, accounting for nearly all LNG flows from the Persian Gulf through Hormuz.
The EIA estimates that 83% of the LNG that moved through the Strait of Hormuz in 2024 went from Persian Gulf countries to Asian markets. China, India, and South Korea were the top destinations for LNG moving through the Strait of Hormuz, accounting for 52% of all Hormuz LNG flows in 2024. In 2024, disruptions to LNG flows through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, and more US. LNG exports to Europe pushed LNG exports from Qatar away from Europe to Asia.
Kuwait and the UAE imported LNG that originated outside of the Persian Gulf, including from the US and West Africa. Bahrain began operating an LNG import terminal in April 2025 and also received cargoes that transited Hormuz from outside of the Persian Gulf, including recent cargoes in April and June that originated from the US.