Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea are the Asian economies most at risk from disruptions to natural gas supplies because they rely heavily on imported fuel to meet their energy demands. According to the authors of the newly released report, these nations are particularly vulnerable to any interference with shipping routes in the Middle East that currently handle the vast majority of the region’s gas deliveries.
“Taiwan is the most exposed at 24%, followed by Japan at 20% and South Korea at 17%” and “90% of the LNG that transits Hormuz is bound for Asian markets.”
This means that for a country like Taiwan, nearly a quarter of all the energy used to power homes and businesses comes from gas shipped from thousands of miles away. Because almost all of this fuel must pass through a single, narrow waterway that is prone to conflict, these economies face a constant threat of power shortages or sudden, massive increases in energy costs if that route is ever blocked.
The report “The energy security fall-out: from fossil fuel fragility to electric independence” was published by the energy think tank Ember on March 18, 2026. It was prepared by a team of authors led by Daan Walter, Sam Butler-Sloss, and Dave Jones.
