Year to date · January–August 2026
12.7 million tonnes
August 2026 only
2.37 million tonnes
Full year 2025
17.4 million tonnes
Share of all cargo
3.5%
What the data say · August 2026
Spanish ports handled 12.7 million tonnes of cereals in the year to August 2026, 18.3% more than in the same period of 2025. In August alone, the figure was 2.37 million tonnes, 48.4% more than in August 2025.
By type of cargo, 86.6% travelled as dry bulk and 13.4% as general cargo. The item accounts for 3.5% of all cargo passing through Spanish ports in that period.
In 2025, the latest year with a breakdown by port, traffic in cereals came to 17.4 million tonnes, 17.4% less than in 2024: 15.9 million tonnes unloaded and 1.48 million tonnes loaded. Foreign trade accounted for 98.1% and the rest was coastal shipping between Spanish ports. 27 of the 28 port authorities recorded movements of this commodity.
Tarragona ranks first among port authorities with 4.25 million tonnes in 2025 (25.1% less than in 2024). It is followed by Cartagena (2.42 million) and Valencia (2.03 million). Together, the three account for 50% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Las Palmas (+19.1%), Bilbao (+3.2%) and Sevilla (+0.9%); the steepest falls by Santander (−51.8%), Gijón (−30.4%) and Tarragona (−25.1%). 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 A Coruña (4th, 1.33 million, −13.6%), Barcelona (5th, 1.15 million, −8.8%), Huelva (6th, 843,434 tonnes, −19.4%), Bahía de Cádiz (7th, 736,382 tonnes, −12.5%), Bahía de Algeciras (8th, 668,045 tonnes, −8.2%), Marín y Ría de Pontevedra (9th, 643,919 tonnes, −6.2%) and Málaga (10th, 550,272 tonnes, −10.7%).
At the bottom of the table are Melilla (2,878 tonnes), Ceuta (1,177 tonnes) and Almería (983 tonnes), out of a total of 27 port authorities with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 64.2% of the total and 9 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 17 port authorities further down share the remaining 16%. 9 of the 27 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2024, 7 of them by double digits, and 18 fell.
Of the 8 months of 2026 with data, 6 are above the same month of 2025 and 2 below; over the last three months (June, July, August) the figure is up 54.4% on the same months of 2025; the largest year-on-year difference was in August (up 48.4%); the highest point in the series was August, at 2.37 M, and the lowest February, at 1.37 M.
Between 2011 and 2025 the figure went from 12.6 M to 17.4 M, an increase of 38.4% over 14 years (+2.4% a year on average). The best year was 2023 (25.2 M) and the worst 2011 (12.6 M).
Top 10 · Cereals by port authority · 2025
Month by month · 2026 vs 2025
Annual series · cereals
Full table · 27 port authorities
| # | Port authorities | Total 2025 | Change on 2024 | Unloaded | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarragona | 4.25 M | −25.1% | 4.22 M | 24.4% | Port |
| 2 | Cartagena | 2.42 M | −19.8% | 2.41 M | 13.9% | Port |
| 3 | Valencia | 2.03 M | −16.4% | 1.66 M | 11.7% | Port |
| 4 | A Coruña | 1.33 M | −13.6% | 1.33 M | 7.7% | Port |
| 5 | Barcelona | 1.15 M | −8.8% | 998,751 | 6.6% | Port |
| 6 | Huelva | 843,434 | −19.4% | 815,409 | 4.8% | Port |
| 7 | Bahía de Cádiz | 736,382 | −12.5% | 610,892 | 4.2% | Port |
| 8 | Bahía de Algeciras | 668,045 | −8.2% | 332,650 | 3.8% | Port |
| 9 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 643,919 | −6.2% | 643,780 | 3.7% | Port |
| 10 | Málaga | 550,272 | −10.7% | 527,658 | 3.2% | Port |
| 11 | Las Palmas | 525,017 | +19.1% | 343,312 | 3.0% | Port |
| 12 | Sevilla | 495,044 | +0.9% | 336,402 | 2.8% | Port |
| 13 | Santander | 344,153 | −51.8% | 339,114 | 2.0% | Port |
| 14 | Castellón | 313,450 | −17.6% | 311,686 | 1.8% | Port |
| 15 | Bilbao | 266,161 | +3.2% | 251,083 | 1.5% | Port |
| 16 | Gijón | 257,860 | −30.4% | 257,840 | 1.5% | Port |
| 17 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 173,430 | +22.2% | 155,733 | 1.0% | Port |
| 18 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 118,745 | +539,650.0% | 116,200 | 0.7% | Port |
| 19 | Pasaia | 113,808 | −33.2% | 113,808 | 0.7% | Port |
| 20 | Vilagarcía | 99,127 | −30.9% | 98,621 | 0.6% | Port |
| 21 | Motril | 37,069 | +37.7% | 36,890 | 0.2% | Port |
| 22 | Baleares | 23,948 | −35.3% | 21,927 | 0.1% | Port |
| 23 | Alicante | 4,971 | −29.6% | 55 | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Vigo | 4,183 | +126.7% | 2,272 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Melilla | 2,878 | −3.9% | 2,878 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Ceuta | 1,177 | +66.0% | 1,177 | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Almería | 983 | +91.2% | 48 | 0.0% | Port |
What this indicator measures
Wheat, maize, barley and other cereals, plus their flours; they almost always move as dry bulk. Puertos del Estado publishes every month the tonnes of this commodity loaded, unloaded or in transit across all ports of general interest, as a cumulative figure since January, and once a year the breakdown by port authority. Figures for the current year are provisional until the yearbook is published.
Context
Spain has a cereal deficit and depends on imports to make animal feed: each year the domestic harvest determines how much has to be brought in. Tarragona, Cartagena, A Coruña, Huelva, Sevilla, Santander and Barcelona are regular gateways for grain.
Frequently asked questions
How many tonnes of cereals have Spanish ports handled this year?
12.7 million tonnes in the year to August 2026, 18.3% more than in the same period of 2025.
Which Spanish port handles the most cereals?
Tarragona, with 4.25 million tonnes in 2025, 24.4% of the total.
How is this commodity carried: in bulk or as general cargo?
By type of cargo, 86.6% travelled as dry bulk and 13.4% as general cargo in the year to August 2026.
When is this data updated?
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 · cargo by commodity, annual series or see the original source.