These numbers show the global impact of Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz

Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz has jolted the world economy, causing a spike in fuel prices that has rippled through other sectors with effects far beyond the Middle East.

It has also left tens of thousands of mariners and hundreds of ships stranded in the Persian Gulf.

Iran effectively seized control of the critical waterway after the US and Israel attacked it on February 28. Weeks of heavy bombing and a US naval blockade imposed last month have yet to loosen its grip. Iran says it will only reopen the strait if the war ends and the blockade is lifted. US President Donald Trump is seeking wider concessions, including the rollback of Iran's disputed nuclear programme.

Here is a look at the strait by the numbers:

45 million

The number of people who could experience hunger, mostly in Asia and Africa, if the strait does not open soon, according to the UN World Food Programme. The blocking of fuel and fertiliser shipments could soon push the price of food and other necessities out of the reach for those already in a precarious situation, it said.

21 miles (34 kilometres) 

This is the width of the strait, which bends like an elbow, at its narrowest point between Iran and Oman. Ships follow narrow lanes to safely navigate the shallow water, making it even more of a chokepoint.

20 per cent 

Before the war, a fifth of the world's traded oil typically flowed through the strait every day, as well as large supplies of natural gas, fertiliser and other petroleum products.

100-130

The number of ships that passed through the strait each day before the war began, including oil tankers and cargo ships, according to research firm Lloyd's List Intelligence.

534 

The number of ships that are believed to have passed through the strait from the start of hostilities through May 4, according to Lloyd's List Intelligence. Many are believed to have carried Iranian oil. In normal times, an estimated 6,500 to 8,450 ships would have transited the strait during the same period.

50 per cent

 The amount that the average price of gas in the US has risen since the war began. The average price of a gallon was US$4.56 on Thursday, according to AAA. The closure of the strait has also nearly doubled the cost of jet fuel.

Up to 10 per cent

Insurance rates for ships have skyrocketed from 1 per cent of the ship's goods up to as much as 10 per cent, according to shipping experts.

10 

The number of mariners who have been killed since the Iran war began, according to the UN's International Maritime Organization.

32
The number of ships that have come under attack, according to the International Maritime Organization.

1,550

The number of vessels, from 87 countries, currently stranded in the Persian Gulf, according to the US military.

22,500

The number of mariners stranded on these ships, including many from South and Southeast Asia.

15,000

The number of US soldiers, accompanied by 100 aircraft, committed to enforce Project Freedom, according to the US military. Trump's initiative to guide ships through the strait was paused on Tuesday, just two days after he announced it.

2 

The number of ships that the US said it successfully guided through the strait as part of Project Freedom.

— AP