From the Strait of Hormuz to the Panama Canal, discover the major geopolitical, maritime and migration chokepoints in the world
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Every day, movement of goods and people across the planet is aided by vast networks of trade routes and migration pathways. However, much of this movement occurs through narrow passages – known as ‘chokepoints’ – whether they be on land or at sea. Such chokepoints have significant influence over the global economy, migration and geopolitics alike.
In the event of these chokepoints becoming blocks, ripple effects can be cast far and wide, impacting trade, stirring geopolitical tensions or forcing individuals to take longer – and in some cases, riskier – routes to reach their destinations.
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Here we look at some of the major chokepoints in the world and their impact on the global stage…
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is the shortest sea route between India and China, and one of the most travelled shipping channels in the world, having served for centuries as a strategic passage in global trade routes. It is one of the narrowest chokepoints in the world – at its smallest width, it is just 1.5 nautical miles wide. The strait is considered one of Asia’s most critical waterways, connecting China, India and southeast Asia.
Of the 97.2 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products that transit at sea per day, 16 per cent pass through the Strait of Malacca. China, which imports more than half of its oil, must transit an estimated 80 per cent of its imported oil supply through Malacca from Venezuela and other oil-rich nations in Africa and the Middle East.
China’s heavy dependency on the strait has been acknowledge among political leaders as the ‘Malacca dilemma’. Alternative routes that link the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean have been proven as too difficult for tankers to navigate due to shallow waters (the Sundra Strait) or far too much of a detour to be economical (the Lombok Strait).
Strait of Hormuz
Connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, the Strait of Hormuz has around 21 million barrels of oil transported through it every single day – representing more than 20 per cent of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports.
It serves as the primary route for petroleum exported from Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and is one of the most vital oil chokepoints in the global economy.
Renewed strikes by the US and Israel in the 2026 Iran conflict have led to a dramatic drop in traffic through the strait, particularly as Iran threatened ships passing through it.
Darién Gap
The Darién Gap is a treacherous, 100 kilometre (60 mile) stretch of mountainous rainforest and marshland located on the Colombia-Panama border. It is part of a break in the Pan-American Highway, which otherwise stretches from Alaska to the very southern tip of Argentina.
First used as a migration crossing point back in the 1990s – for individuals fleeing Colombia after internal conflict and violence – its use for migrants, refugees and aslyum seekers across South America and the entire world has grown exponentially since 2010, when Panama first began to officially register migrant crossings.
Between 2010 and 2014, just 2,400 crossings were made: but as of 2023, more than 520,000 people made the journey to find both safety and work in the United States and other northern regions, a figure which has rocketed from 8,500 back in 2020.
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal is a human-made waterway connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas, stretching for 193.3 kilometres (120 miles). By using this canal, ships can save about seven days from their trip, as it is the shortest maritime route between Europe and the lands lying around the Indian and western Pacific oceans. Tolls paid by vessels passing through represent an important source of income for the Egyptian government – transit fees generate approximately $5billion annually.
In 1870, when the canal first opened, there were 486 transits. By 2018, that figure had upticked to 18,174 transits with a net annual tonnage of about 1.4 billion metric tons.
Approximately 12 per cent of global trade passes through the Suez Canal, making it one of the world’s mot critical shipping lanes and a vital chokepoint.
The canal’s strategic importance has repeatedly made it a flashpoint during geopolitical conflicts. The canal was shut for five months between October 1956 to March 1957 after an invasion by Britain, France and Israel. It also shut between 1967 and 1975, forcing a large share of Europe’s oil imports to be diverted. Global shippers had to opt for the long, alternate route around Africa, adding roughly 8,000 to 10,000 kilometres to voyages.
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal provides a shortcut for ships travelling between the Pacific and the Atlantic. During 2019 alone, 252 million tons of goods were transported through the canal.
Ships sailing between the east and west coasts of the US save more than 8,000 nautical miles by using the canal, reducing their trip by up to 21 days. As such, the canal is a strategic route for US exports and imports, both between the East Coast and Asia, the West Coast and Europe, and for linking the East and West Coasts of the country.
More than 70 per cent of the goods transported via the canal originate from or are destined for a US port, making Washington its main user.
It was built by the United States between 1904 and 1914, with an estimated cost of $375million or roughly $12billion adjusted for inflation.
Between late 2024 and early 2025, Donald Trump repeatedly declared his intention to ‘retake’ control of the Panama Canal. In response, the Panamanian president José Raúl Mulino reaffirmed Panama’s sovereignty over the canal and its commitment to maintaining fair access for all ships.
