2025 total
14.1 million cruise passengers
First port · 2025
4.0 million cruise passengers
Series high, 2012–2025
14.1 million cruise passengers
Cruise calls
5,373 calls
The 2025 balance
Spanish ports received 14.1 million cruise passengers in 2025, 9.9% more than in 2024 (1.27 million more). This is the year-end balance according to Puertos del Estado’s monthly statistics, with December data for the 28 port authorities.
It is the highest annual figure in the 2012–2025 series.
In the 2025 ranking, the ports moving up on 2024 are Vigo (from 11th to 9th). The top three positions are unchanged.
Cruise calls: 5,373 calls in 2025, 14.3% more than in 2024. Las Palmas ranks first on this measure, with 916 calls.
Barcelona ranks first among port authorities with 4.0 million cruise passengers in 2025 (9.4% more than in 2024). It is followed by Baleares (2.57 million) and Las Palmas (2.09 million). Together, the three account for 61.4% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Vigo (+45.0%), Bilbao (+31.7%) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (+24.8%); the steepest falls by Bahía de Cádiz (−10.3%). 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 Santa Cruz de Tenerife (4th, 1.64 million, +24.8%), Valencia (5th, 799,050 cruise passengers, +3.2%), Bahía de Cádiz (6th, 624,476 cruise passengers, −10.3%), Málaga (7th, 570,481 cruise passengers, +21.4%), A Coruña (8th, 465,199 cruise passengers, +14.4%), Vigo (9th, 306,127 cruise passengers, +45.0%) and Cartagena (10th, 257,582 cruise passengers, +17.4%).
At the bottom of the table are Pasaia (1,246 cruise passengers), Vilagarcía (1,012 cruise passengers) and Avilés (221 cruise passengers), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 78.7% of the total and 6 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 5.5%. 18 of the 26 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2024, 14 of them by double digits, and 8 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2025 with data, 8 are above the same month of 2024 and 4 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 5.1% on the same months of 2024; the largest year-on-year difference was in April (up 37.1%); the highest point in the series was October, at 1.61 M, and the lowest February, at 657,583.
Between 2012 and 2025 the figure went from 7.6 M to 14.1 M, an increase of 85.7% over 13 years (+4.9% a year on average); the last year is the high point of the series and the low was 2020 (1.37 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · 2025
Month by month · 2025 vs 2024
Annual series, 2012–2025
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2025
| # | Port authorities | 2025 | Change on 2024 | 2024 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 4.0 M | +9.4% | 3.66 M | 28.4% | Port |
| 2 | Baleares | 2.57 M | +3.0% | 2.5 M | 18.2% | Port |
| 3 | Las Palmas | 2.09 M | +11.7% | 1.87 M | 14.8% | Port |
| 4 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 1.64 M | +24.8% | 1.32 M | 11.6% | Port |
| 5 | Valencia | 799,050 | +3.2% | 774,067 | 5.7% | Port |
| 6 | Bahía de Cádiz | 624,476 | −10.3% | 696,146 | 4.4% | Port |
| 7 | Málaga | 570,481 | +21.4% | 469,949 | 4.0% | Port |
| 8 | A Coruña | 465,199 | +14.4% | 406,613 | 3.3% | Port |
| 9 | Vigo | 306,127 | +45.0% | 211,193 | 2.2% | Port |
| 10 | Cartagena | 257,582 | +17.4% | 219,432 | 1.8% | Port |
| 11 | Alicante | 252,317 | +7.5% | 234,659 | 1.8% | Port |
| 12 | Bilbao | 181,016 | +31.7% | 137,477 | 1.3% | Port |
| 13 | Tarragona | 129,330 | −5.0% | 136,091 | 0.9% | Port |
| 14 | Gijón | 64,906 | +45.0% | 44,769 | 0.5% | Port |
| 15 | Motril | 40,636 | −30.9% | 58,842 | 0.3% | Port |
| 16 | Santander | 29,862 | −16.5% | 35,773 | 0.2% | Port |
| 17 | Sevilla | 19,194 | −9.9% | 21,301 | 0.1% | Port |
| 18 | Almería | 18,112 | +46.1% | 12,397 | 0.1% | Port |
| 19 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 16,629 | +25.1% | 13,294 | 0.1% | Port |
| 20 | Ceuta | 9,525 | +24.3% | 7,660 | 0.1% | Port |
| 21 | Melilla | 7,028 | −20.6% | 8,847 | 0.0% | Port |
| 22 | Castellón | 2,708 | +264.5% | 743 | 0.0% | Port |
| 23 | Huelva | 2,678 | +61.7% | 1,656 | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Pasaia | 1,246 | +14.3% | 1,090 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Vilagarcía | 1,012 | −48.3% | 1,959 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Avilés | 221 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Bahía de Algeciras | 0 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 0 | −100.0% | — | 0.0% | Port |
What this indicator measures
Puertos del Estado counts each cruise passenger at every port where they embark, disembark or are in transit, so the same passenger can be counted at several ports on an itinerary. Calls are the arrivals of cruise ships. Passengers per call indicate the average size of the ships each port receives.
Frequently asked questions
Which was Spain’s first port by cruise passenger traffic in 2025?
Barcelona, with 4.0 million cruise passengers in 2025, 28.4% of the total.
What was the cruise passenger traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2025?
14.1 million cruise passengers in 2025, 9.9% more than in 2024.
Was 2025 a record year?
Yes: 14.1 million cruise passengers is the highest annual figure in the 2012–2025 series.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · cruise passengers by port, annual series or see the original source.