Saudi Arabia
net exporterThe East-West pipeline to Yanbu lets exports bypass Hormuz – part of the flow was rerouted through it in 2019 and 2024.
Answer
Saudi Arabia exports about 6.4 million barrels of crude a day. The largest buyers are China (25%), South Korea (15%) and Japan (14%).
Data: 2025 annual averages
Key figures
- Crude oil exports, barrels per day
- 6.4 million
- Largest buyer
- China · 25%
- Real risk
- Strait of Hormuz · 71%
Where does Saudi Arabia's oil go?
| Buyer | share | thousand b/d |
|---|---|---|
| China | 25% | 1,622 |
| South Korea | 15% | 947 |
| Japan | 14% | 919 |
| India | 12% | 740 |
| USA | 5% | 310 |
| Poland | 4% | 242 |
| Lithuania | 1% | 89 |
| Belgium | 1% | 80 |
| Spain | 1% | 72 |
| Italy | 1% | 44 |
| Greece | 1% | 35 |
| France | 0% | 21 |
| Austria | 0% | 21 |
| Netherlands | 0% | 17 |
| Czechia | 0% | 15 |
| Bulgaria | 0% | 14 |
| Germany | 0% | 13 |
| Croatia | 0% | 10 |
| Slovakia | 0% | 9 |
| other destinations (not on the map) | 19% | 1,214 |
UN Comtrade, JODI-Oil · 2025
Which chokepoints does Saudi Arabia's oil pass through?
The main maritime chokepoints on the way are Strait of Hormuz (71% of exports), Strait of Malacca (54% of exports) and Suez Canal / SUMED (11% of exports).
- Strait of Hormuz71% of exports · 4,538
- Strait of Malacca54% of exports · 3,488
- Suez Canal / SUMED11% of exports · 682
- Danish Straits5% of exports · 331
- Cape of Good Hope5% of exports · 310
- Turkish Straits0% of exports · 14
Real risk: Strait of Hormuz – 71% of exports this way. Iran has kept the strait closed since 28 February 2026 – only some ships pass, under US escort. Before that it had repeatedly threatened closure; tankers were attacked in 2019 and 2024.
UN Comtrade · 2025
How much crude oil does Saudi Arabia export?
Produces 9.5 million barrels a day. Uses 37% at home and sells 6.4 million (63%) abroad – 3 supertankers a day.
JODI-Oil · 2025
Saudi Arabia: how did the 2026 oil crisis affect supplies and prices?
- February 28, 2026Iran closes the Strait of HormuzSaudi Arabia: 310 thousand barrels a day (5% of exports) with no way throughWikipedia: 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
- March 11, 2026IEA countries release 400 million barrels from emergency stocksSaudi Arabia: 310 thousand barrels a day (5% of exports) with no way throughIEA, 11 Mar 2026
- September 11, 2026Drones hit Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline – the main route around HormuzSaudi Arabia: 5.2 million barrels a day (81% of exports) with no way throughCNBC, 14 Sept 2026
- September 28, 2026The East-West pipeline runs again, at lower capacitySaudi Arabia: 2.0 million barrels a day (31% of exports) with no way throughwnp.pl, 28 Sept 2026
Effect on supplies: model of oil routes (2025 flows), stranded = no sea route left on that day.
Main terminal: Ras Tanura · Yanbu
Sources
- UN Comtrade – crude oil imports by country of origin (HS 2709), as reported by the importing country · 2025
- JODI-Oil – national crude oil production, imports and exports · 2025
- U.S. EIA – crude oil and petroleum products passing through maritime chokepoints · 2023
Related questions
- Where does China get its oil from?
- Where does South Korea get its oil from?
- Where does Japan get its oil from?
- Which countries depend on the Strait of Hormuz?
- Which countries export the most crude oil?
- Which countries depend most on Middle East oil?
- Which countries depend most on a single oil supplier?
- Where does the EU get its crude oil?
Download the data
CSV and JSON, CC BY 4.0 – credit “chokepoints.io” with a link. Volumes in thousand barrels per day, 2025 annual averages.
Countries (CSV)Trade routes (CSV)Chokepoints (CSV)Everything (JSON)DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23267750 (Zenodo)