Which strait is a chokepoint for roughly 20% of world oil shipments?

• A. South China Sea
• B. Strait of Hormuz
• C. Malacca Strait
• D. Bab el-Mandeb

Answer: (B)

Chokepoints in global oil flow are narrow passages where a large share of production must pass, so disruption there can have outsized effects on supply and prices. The Strait of Hormuz fits this idea perfectly: it lies between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, separating Iran from the Arabian Peninsula, and carries a large portion of oil extracted in the Persian Gulf to world markets. Because the channel is relatively narrow and traffic is heavy, a blockage or confrontation can quickly slow or halt a significant fraction of daily oil shipments—roughly around one-fifth of global oil trade—making it one of the most strategically important chokepoints.

Other straits are indeed critical for global shipping, but Hormuz is the one most closely associated with that specific share of world oil. The Malacca Strait, for instance, is the busiest route for general trade and a key transit for Asian energy, but the commonly cited figure of about 20% aligns with Hormuz. Bab el-Mandeb and the South China Sea are also important to regional and global flows, but they do not correspond to the same widely cited proportion of world oil shipments as Hormuz.