2024 total
84.8 million tonnes
First port · 2024
12.1 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
102.4 million tonnes
Month with the highest figure
7.79 million tonnes
The 2024 balance
Spanish ports handled 84.8 million tonnes of dry bulk traffic in 2024, 6.3% less than in 2023 (5.67 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: 2024 was 17.2% below it and ranks 11th of the 14 years with data.
In the 2024 ranking, the ports moving up on 2023 are Barcelona (from 7th to 6th), Bilbao (from 8th to 7th) and Ferrol-San Cibrao (from 11th to 10th); those moving down are A Coruña (from 6th to 8th). The top three positions are unchanged.
Gijón ranks first among port authorities with 12.1 million tonnes in 2024 (25% less than in 2023). It is followed by Tarragona (9.23 million) and Cartagena (8.78 million). Together, the three account for 35.5% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Marín y Ría de Pontevedra (+38.4%), Castellón (+18.5%) and Valencia (+12.0%); the steepest falls by Bahía de Cádiz (−25.6%), Gijón (−25.0%) and A Coruña (−18.6%). 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, 7.68 million, +18.5%), Huelva (5th, 5.28 million, −7.3%), Barcelona (6th, 4.8 million, +0.1%), Bilbao (7th, 4.32 million, +10.1%), A Coruña (8th, 4.22 million, −18.6%), Almería (9th, 3.88 million, −0.7%) and Ferrol-San Cibrao (10th, 3.7 million, −2.8%).
At the bottom of the table are Bahía de Algeciras (236,283 tonnes), Melilla (16,689 tonnes) and Ceuta (3,926 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 50.8% of the total and 12 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 24.6%. 11 of the 28 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2023, 5 of them by double digits, and 17 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2024 with data, 2 are above the same month of 2023 and 10 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 0.2% on the same months of 2023; the largest year-on-year difference was in March (down 21%); the highest point in the series was May, at 7.79 M, and the lowest February, at 6.13 M.
Between 2012 and 2024 the figure went from 88.6 M to 84.8 M, a decrease of 4.3% over 12 years (−0.4% 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 · 2024
Month by month · 2024 vs 2023
Annual series, 2012–2024
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2024
| # | Port authorities | 2024 | Change on 2023 | 2023 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gijón | 12.1 M | −25.0% | 16.1 M | 14.2% | Port |
| 2 | Tarragona | 9.23 M | −9.2% | 10.2 M | 10.9% | Port |
| 3 | Cartagena | 8.78 M | +1.1% | 8.69 M | 10.4% | Port |
| 4 | Castellón | 7.68 M | +18.5% | 6.48 M | 9.1% | Port |
| 5 | Huelva | 5.28 M | −7.3% | 5.7 M | 6.2% | Port |
| 6 | Barcelona | 4.8 M | +0.1% | 4.79 M | 5.7% | Port |
| 7 | Bilbao | 4.32 M | +10.1% | 3.92 M | 5.1% | Port |
| 8 | A Coruña | 4.22 M | −18.6% | 5.18 M | 5.0% | Port |
| 9 | Almería | 3.88 M | −0.7% | 3.9 M | 4.6% | Port |
| 10 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 3.7 M | −2.8% | 3.8 M | 4.4% | Port |
| 11 | Santander | 3.34 M | −13.0% | 3.83 M | 3.9% | Port |
| 12 | Avilés | 2.84 M | +3.3% | 2.75 M | 3.3% | Port |
| 13 | Valencia | 2.76 M | +12.0% | 2.47 M | 3.3% | Port |
| 14 | Sevilla | 2.02 M | +3.5% | 1.95 M | 2.4% | Port |
| 15 | Alicante | 1.8 M | −2.0% | 1.83 M | 2.1% | Port |
| 16 | Bahía de Cádiz | 1.66 M | −25.6% | 2.23 M | 2.0% | Port |
| 17 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 1.43 M | +38.4% | 1.03 M | 1.7% | Port |
| 18 | Málaga | 1.26 M | −6.8% | 1.35 M | 1.5% | Port |
| 19 | Pasaia | 938,380 | −11.8% | 1.06 M | 1.1% | Port |
| 20 | Motril | 752,994 | +7.8% | 698,751 | 0.9% | Port |
| 21 | Las Palmas | 413,813 | +9.0% | 379,653 | 0.5% | Port |
| 22 | Vilagarcía | 412,377 | −27.9% | 571,650 | 0.5% | Port |
| 23 | Baleares | 358,505 | −8.8% | 393,267 | 0.4% | Port |
| 24 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 336,443 | −10.6% | 376,407 | 0.4% | Port |
| 25 | Vigo | 260,261 | −17.8% | 316,724 | 0.3% | Port |
| 26 | Bahía de Algeciras | 236,283 | −47.2% | 447,847 | 0.3% | Port |
| 27 | Melilla | 16,689 | +40.8% | 11,851 | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Ceuta | 3,926 | −47.5% | 7,476 | 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 2024?
Gijón, with 12.1 million tonnes in 2024, 14.2% of the total.
What was the dry bulk traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2024?
84.8 million tonnes in 2024, 6.3% less than in 2023.
Was 2024 a record year?
No: the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2018, with 102.4 million tonnes; 2024 was 17.2% 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.