Year to date · January–August 2026
3.59 million tonnes
August 2026 only
665,092 tonnes
Full year 2025
7.12 million tonnes
Share of all cargo
1%
What the data say · August 2026
Spanish ports handled 3.59 million tonnes of iron ore in the year to August 2026, 28.8% less than in the same period of 2025. In August alone, the figure was 665,092 tonnes, 57.6% more than in August 2025.
By type of cargo, 97.2% travelled as dry bulk and 2.8% as general cargo. The item accounts for 1% of all cargo passing through Spanish ports in that period.
In 2025, the latest year with a breakdown by port, traffic in iron ore came to 7.12 million tonnes, 21.6% more than in 2024: 6.56 million tonnes unloaded and 563,114 tonnes loaded. Foreign trade accounted for 99.7% and the rest was coastal shipping between Spanish ports. 18 of the 28 port authorities recorded movements of this commodity.
Gijón ranks first among port authorities with 5.67 million tonnes in 2025 (19.1% more than in 2024). It is followed by Tarragona (1.15 million) and Sevilla (77,948 tonnes). Together, the three account for 96.9% of the total.
The rest of the top ten are Bilbao (4th, 56,907 tonnes, −6.3%), Santander (5th, 46,806 tonnes, −41.2%), Avilés (6th, 38,998 tonnes, +25.7%), Huelva (7th, 24,959 tonnes, −34.3%), Barcelona (8th, 21,064 tonnes, +104.6%), Bahía de Algeciras (9th, 12,033 tonnes, +125.9%) and Baleares (10th, 8,141 tonnes, +127.5%).
At the bottom of the table are Bahía de Cádiz (184 tonnes), Ceuta (24 tonnes) and Almería (17 tonnes), out of a total of 18 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 98.3% of the total and 2 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 8 port authorities further down share the remaining 0.2%. 13 of the 16 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2024, 13 of them by double digits, and 3 fell.
Of the 8 months of 2026 with data, 1 are above the same month of 2025 and 7 below; over the last three months (June, July, August) the figure is down 17.8% on the same months of 2025; the largest year-on-year difference was in March (down 63.9%); the highest point in the series was February, at 668,691, and the lowest March, at 254,608.
Between 2011 and 2025 the figure went from 6.22 M to 7.12 M, an increase of 14.6% over 14 years (+1.0% a year on average). The best year was 2015 (7.6 M) and the worst 2020 (4.32 M).
Top 10 · Iron ore by port authority · 2025
Month by month · 2026 vs 2025
Annual series · iron ore
Full table · 18 port authorities
| # | Port authorities | Total 2025 | Change on 2024 | Unloaded | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gijón | 5.67 M | +19.1% | 5.67 M | 79.6% | Port |
| 2 | Tarragona | 1.15 M | +74.5% | 614,494 | 16.2% | Port |
| 3 | Sevilla | 77,948 | +25.2% | 77,911 | 1.1% | Port |
| 4 | Bilbao | 56,907 | −6.3% | 56,887 | 0.8% | Port |
| 5 | Santander | 46,806 | −41.2% | 46,806 | 0.7% | Port |
| 6 | Avilés | 38,998 | +25.7% | 38,998 | 0.5% | Port |
| 7 | Huelva | 24,959 | −34.3% | 24,959 | 0.4% | Port |
| 8 | Barcelona | 21,064 | +104.6% | 9,517 | 0.3% | Port |
| 9 | Bahía de Algeciras | 12,033 | +125.9% | 6,816 | 0.2% | Port |
| 10 | Baleares | 8,141 | +127.5% | 7,425 | 0.1% | Port |
| 11 | Valencia | 6,082 | +89.6% | 1,603 | 0.1% | Port |
| 12 | Málaga | 2,749 | +17.0% | 2,749 | 0.0% | Port |
| 13 | Melilla | 2,698 | +14.9% | 0 | 0.0% | Port |
| 14 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 411 | +596.6% | 151 | 0.0% | Port |
| 15 | Las Palmas | 345 | +109.1% | 152 | 0.0% | Port |
| 16 | Bahía de Cádiz | 184 | — | 184 | 0.0% | Port |
| 17 | Ceuta | 24 | +60.0% | 0 | 0.0% | Port |
| 18 | Almería | 17 | — | 17 | 0.0% | Port |
What this indicator measures
Iron ore and its concentrates, a dry bulk that feeds the blast furnaces of the steel industry. 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
The integrated steelworks in Asturias are the main destination for the ore, which is unloaded at Gijón. It is one of the commodities most concentrated in a single port in the whole statistics, and its volume follows steel output.
Frequently asked questions
How many tonnes of iron ore have Spanish ports handled this year?
3.59 million tonnes in the year to August 2026, 28.8% less than in the same period of 2025.
Which Spanish port handles the most iron ore?
Gijón, with 5.67 million tonnes in 2025, 79.6% of the total.
How is this commodity carried: in bulk or as general cargo?
By type of cargo, 97.2% travelled as dry bulk and 2.8% 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.