Year to date · January–August 2026
373 million tonnes
August 2026 only
47.5 million tonnes
First port
67.5 million tonnes
What the data say · August 2026
Spanish ports handled 373 million tonnes of total traffic in the year to August 2026, 1.1% more than in the same period of 2025. In August alone, the figure was 47.5 million tonnes, 6% more than in August 2025.
In August, 19 of the 28 port authorities with data improved on their August 2025 figure.
2024 closed with 557.8 million tonnes, 2.6% more than in 2023. The annual series peaked in 2019, at 564.5 million.
Bahía de Algeciras ranks first among port authorities with 67.5 million tonnes in the year to August 2026 (virtually the same as a year earlier). It is followed by Valencia (53.1 million) and Barcelona (47.5 million). Together, the three account for 45.1% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Bahía de Cádiz (+11.7%), Málaga (+11.6%) and Castellón (+11.2%); the steepest falls by Gijón (−20.7%), Valencia (−2.3%) and A Coruña (−1.8%). The comparison is limited to port authorities that account for at least 1% of the total, so that an extreme swing at a small player does not distort the picture.
The rest of the top ten are Las Palmas (4th, 24.4 million, −0.4%), Cartagena (5th, 23.3 million, +5.1%), Bilbao (6th, 22.6 million, +7.8%), Huelva (7th, 20.2 million, +2.6%), Tarragona (8th, 20.2 million, +5.9%), Castellón (9th, 13.5 million, +11.2%) and Baleares (10th, 12 million, −0.5%).
At the bottom of the table are Ceuta (1.49 million), Vilagarcía (1.05 million) and Melilla (382,132 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 57.9% of the total and 10 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 18.4%. 18 of the 28 port authorities with a comparison grew year on year, 4 of them by double digits, and 10 fell.
Of the 8 months of 2026 with data, 5 are above the same month of 2025 and 3 below; over the last three months (June, July, August) the figure is up 2.7% on the same months of 2025; the largest year-on-year difference was in August (up 6%); the highest point in the series was May, at 49.2 M, and the lowest January, at 41.2 M.
Between 2013 and 2024 the figure went from 459 M to 557.8 M, an increase of 21.5% over 11 years (+1.8% a year on average). The best year was 2019 (564.5 M) and the worst 2013 (459 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · year to date 2026
Month by month · 2026 vs 2025
Annual series for the port system
Full table · 28 port authorities
| # | Port authorities | Jan–Aug 2026 | YoY change | August | Monthly change | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahía de Algeciras | 67.5 M | 0.0% | 8.54 M | +4.3% | 18.1% | Port |
| 2 | Valencia | 53.1 M | −2.3% | 6.46 M | −1.8% | 14.2% | Port |
| 3 | Barcelona | 47.5 M | +1.3% | 5.76 M | −3.3% | 12.7% | Port |
| 4 | Las Palmas | 24.4 M | −0.4% | 3.28 M | +7.6% | 6.5% | Port |
| 5 | Cartagena | 23.3 M | +5.1% | 3.01 M | −0.3% | 6.3% | Port |
| 6 | Bilbao | 22.6 M | +7.8% | 2.71 M | +1.0% | 6.1% | Port |
| 7 | Huelva | 20.2 M | +2.6% | 3.09 M | +36.8% | 5.4% | Port |
| 8 | Tarragona | 20.2 M | +5.9% | 2.5 M | +6.0% | 5.4% | Port |
| 9 | Castellón | 13.5 M | +11.2% | 1.71 M | +30.0% | 3.6% | Port |
| 10 | Baleares | 12 M | −0.5% | 1.55 M | +2.1% | 3.2% | Port |
| 11 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 9.26 M | −1.8% | 1.1 M | +11.3% | 2.5% | Port |
| 12 | A Coruña | 8.85 M | −1.8% | 1.25 M | 0.0% | 2.4% | Port |
| 13 | Gijón | 8.74 M | −20.7% | 1.46 M | +52.1% | 2.3% | Port |
| 14 | Santander | 4.82 M | +3.7% | 695,590 | +27.0% | 1.3% | Port |
| 15 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 4.76 M | +4.4% | 570,439 | −2.3% | 1.3% | Port |
| 16 | Almería | 4.25 M | +4.6% | 382,821 | −8.7% | 1.1% | Port |
| 17 | Málaga | 4.04 M | +11.6% | 428,809 | −4.4% | 1.1% | Port |
| 18 | Bahía de Cádiz | 3.87 M | +11.7% | 570,041 | +19.5% | 1.0% | Port |
| 19 | Vigo | 3.58 M | −0.2% | 413,466 | +11.7% | 1.0% | Port |
| 20 | Avilés | 2.97 M | −3.1% | 357,174 | +4.8% | 0.8% | Port |
| 21 | Sevilla | 2.78 M | +1.7% | 413,907 | +19.0% | 0.7% | Port |
| 22 | Pasaia | 2.29 M | +1.3% | 213,609 | −6.7% | 0.6% | Port |
| 23 | Alicante | 2.24 M | +22.8% | 253,277 | +1.9% | 0.6% | Port |
| 24 | Motril | 1.66 M | −14.0% | 156,132 | −12.8% | 0.4% | Port |
| 25 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 1.57 M | +8.8% | 242,145 | +96.3% | 0.4% | Port |
| 26 | Ceuta | 1.49 M | +6.1% | 204,216 | +8.8% | 0.4% | Port |
| 27 | Vilagarcía | 1.05 M | +2.4% | 119,523 | −11.5% | 0.3% | Port |
| 28 | Melilla | 382,132 | +6.8% | 58,075 | +42.5% | 0.1% | Port |
What this indicator measures
Total traffic is the sum of all tonnes entering, leaving or passing through the 46 ports of general interest, grouped into 28 port authorities. It includes liquid bulk (crude oil, gas, petroleum products), dry bulk (coal, cereals, minerals), general cargo (containers and ro-ro), bunkering and supplies, fresh fish and internal traffic. It is the broadest measure of port activity and the one Puertos del Estado uses for its official results.
Context
The Spanish port system handles around 550 million tonnes a year and channels close to 60% of the country’s exports and 85% of its imports by volume. Three authorities (Bahía de Algeciras, Valencia and Barcelona) account for about 45% of the total, and the weight of international container transhipment means Algeciras and Valencia alternate in first place from one year to the next.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the busiest port in Spain?
Bahía de Algeciras, with 67.5 million tonnes in the year to August 2026, 18.1% of the total.
How many tonnes have Spanish ports handled this year?
373 million tonnes in the year to August 2026, 1.1% more than in the same period of 2025.
When does Puertos del Estado publish its traffic data?
Puertos del Estado publishes the data every month. Latest data available: August 2026.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · overview or see the original source.