List of Countries Most Dependent on Middle Eastern Oil
The Middle East is widely known as one of the world’s largest producers of crude oil. A number of the world’s biggest economies remain heavily dependent on oil supplies from the region. For them, disruption in the Middle East is not merely a geopolitical issue, but a direct risk to energy, industry, and domestic inflation.
Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows Japan imported oil from the Middle East equivalent to 77% of its domestic consumption in 2024. Taiwan reached 63%, South Korea 57%, India 45%, and China 38%. Eritrea, a country located in the Horn of Africa in the northeastern part of the continent, has a very high dependency rate of 91%.
Asian countries dominate the group of large economies most dependent on Middle Eastern oil. Japan is one of the clearest examples. With dependency reaching 77% of domestic consumption, the country is among the advanced economies most exposed to supply disruptions from the region. Taiwan and South Korea also recorded high figures, at 63% and 57% respectively. Meanwhile, India and China are below those two, but their much larger economic size means their oil import volumes remain very significant. This means any supply disruption from the Middle East not only impacts producer countries but also has the potential to affect industrial and trade activity across much of Asia.
Outside Asia, the level of dependency on Middle Eastern oil tends to be lower. Lithuania is one of the European countries with the highest dependency on the list, at 40% of domestic consumption. However, the figure drops quite sharply for other major countries. Germany, for example, is only at 6%. North America shows even much lower figures. The United States is recorded at just 3%, while Canada is at 1%. This difference reflects a combination of greater domestic production and more diversified supply sources. For these countries, supply disruptions from the Middle East remain important, but the impact is relatively more limited compared to many Asian nations.
Energy dependency often only appears important when the supply chain is disrupted. Most oil from the Middle East is shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the busiest energy chokepoints in the world. Any disruption in that corridor has the potential to affect the flow of oil to various importing countries. For nations highly dependent on Middle Eastern supplies, the impact can include rising energy costs, inflationary pressure, and increased production costs for the industrial and transport sectors. Therefore, energy dependency is not just about oil consumption. The figures also serve as a measure of how vulnerable a country is to external shocks.
The data indicates that the Middle East still holds a crucial role in the global energy system. Although many countries are trying to expand their supply sources and reduce dependency on a single region, Middle Eastern oil remains the backbone for a number of major economies, especially in Asia. The global oil market allows trade flows to adjust over time, but that process requires time and cost. Consequently, countries with more diversified suppliers or large domestic production generally have greater flexibility when the energy market faces pressure. Meanwhile, for countries still heavily dependent on Middle Eastern oil, the stability of the region remains a critical factor that can affect economies far beyond its geographical borders.