2023 total
90.4 million tonnes
First port · 2023
16.1 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
102.4 million tonnes
Month with the highest figure
8.49 million tonnes
The 2023 balance
Spanish ports handled 90.4 million tonnes of dry bulk traffic in 2023, 3.8% less than in 2022 (3.54 million less). This is the year-end balance according to Puertos del Estado’s monthly statistics, with December data for the 28 port authorities.
The high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2018, with 102.4 million tonnes: 2023 was 11.6% below it and ranks 7th of the 14 years with data.
In the 2023 ranking, the ports moving up on 2022 are Cartagena (from 4th to 3rd), Huelva (from 6th to 5th) and A Coruña (from 7th to 6th); those moving down are Castellón (from 3rd to 4th).
Gijón ranks first among port authorities with 16.1 million tonnes in 2023 (4.9% less than in 2022). It is followed by Tarragona (10.2 million) and Cartagena (8.69 million). Together, the three account for 38.7% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Bahía de Cádiz (+18.6%), Cartagena (+17.9%) and Pasaia (+17.7%); the steepest falls by Ferrol-San Cibrao (−44.6%), Castellón (−29.3%) and Gijón (−4.9%). 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 Castellón (4th, 6.48 million, −29.3%), Huelva (5th, 5.7 million, −0.2%), A Coruña (6th, 5.18 million, −3.9%), Barcelona (7th, 4.79 million, +5.4%), Bilbao (8th, 3.92 million, +4.4%), Almería (9th, 3.9 million, −0.3%) and Santander (10th, 3.83 million, +12.4%).
At the bottom of the table are Vigo (316,724 tonnes), Melilla (11,851 tonnes) and Ceuta (7,476 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 52.1% of the total and 11 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 24%. 16 of the 28 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2022, 7 of them by double digits, and 12 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2023 with data, 3 are above the same month of 2022 and 9 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is down 15% on the same months of 2022; the largest year-on-year difference was in October (down 19%); the highest point in the series was June, at 8.49 M, and the lowest December, at 6.94 M.
Between 2012 and 2023 the figure went from 88.6 M to 90.4 M, an increase of 2.1% over 11 years (+0.2% a year on average). The best year was 2018 (102.4 M) and the worst 2020 (77.1 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · 2023
Month by month · 2023 vs 2022
Annual series, 2012–2023
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2023
| # | Port authorities | 2023 | Change on 2022 | 2022 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gijón | 16.1 M | −4.9% | 16.9 M | 17.8% | Port |
| 2 | Tarragona | 10.2 M | +9.0% | 9.32 M | 11.2% | Port |
| 3 | Cartagena | 8.69 M | +17.9% | 7.37 M | 9.6% | Port |
| 4 | Castellón | 6.48 M | −29.3% | 9.16 M | 7.2% | Port |
| 5 | Huelva | 5.7 M | −0.2% | 5.71 M | 6.3% | Port |
| 6 | A Coruña | 5.18 M | −3.9% | 5.39 M | 5.7% | Port |
| 7 | Barcelona | 4.79 M | +5.4% | 4.55 M | 5.3% | Port |
| 8 | Bilbao | 3.92 M | +4.4% | 3.75 M | 4.3% | Port |
| 9 | Almería | 3.9 M | −0.3% | 3.91 M | 4.3% | Port |
| 10 | Santander | 3.83 M | +12.4% | 3.41 M | 4.2% | Port |
| 11 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 3.8 M | −44.6% | 6.86 M | 4.2% | Port |
| 12 | Avilés | 2.75 M | −1.8% | 2.8 M | 3.0% | Port |
| 13 | Valencia | 2.47 M | +9.4% | 2.26 M | 2.7% | Port |
| 14 | Bahía de Cádiz | 2.23 M | +18.6% | 1.88 M | 2.5% | Port |
| 15 | Sevilla | 1.95 M | +9.2% | 1.79 M | 2.2% | Port |
| 16 | Alicante | 1.83 M | +10.5% | 1.66 M | 2.0% | Port |
| 17 | Málaga | 1.35 M | −1.6% | 1.37 M | 1.5% | Port |
| 18 | Pasaia | 1.06 M | +17.7% | 904,069 | 1.2% | Port |
| 19 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 1.03 M | −0.9% | 1.04 M | 1.1% | Port |
| 20 | Motril | 698,751 | +7.4% | 650,395 | 0.8% | Port |
| 21 | Vilagarcía | 571,650 | +42.5% | 401,187 | 0.6% | Port |
| 22 | Bahía de Algeciras | 447,847 | −67.5% | 1.38 M | 0.5% | Port |
| 23 | Baleares | 393,267 | +2.9% | 382,225 | 0.4% | Port |
| 24 | Las Palmas | 379,653 | +4.7% | 362,686 | 0.4% | Port |
| 25 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 376,407 | −7.9% | 408,558 | 0.4% | Port |
| 26 | Vigo | 316,724 | +4.1% | 304,134 | 0.4% | Port |
| 27 | Melilla | 11,851 | −57.0% | 27,555 | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Ceuta | 7,476 | +27.7% | 5,856 | 0.0% | Port |
What this indicator measures
Dry bulk is unpackaged cargo moved loose: coal, iron ore, cereals and animal feed, cement and clinker, fertilisers, scrap and salt. It is the traffic most closely linked to heavy industry, power generation and agriculture, and the one that has changed most with the closure of coal-fired power plants.
Frequently asked questions
Which was Spain’s first port by dry bulk traffic in 2023?
Gijón, with 16.1 million tonnes in 2023, 17.8% of the total.
What was the dry bulk traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2023?
90.4 million tonnes in 2023, 3.8% less than in 2022.
Was 2023 a record year?
No: the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2018, with 102.4 million tonnes; 2023 was 11.6% below it.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · traffic by type of cargo, annual series or see the original source.