Year to date · January–August 2026
24.9 million tonnes
August 2026 only
2.93 million tonnes
First port
22.6 million tonnes
What the data say · August 2026
The Basque ports of general interest (Bilbao and Pasaia) handled 24.9 million tonnes of total traffic in the year to August 2026, 7.1% more than in the same period of 2025. In August alone, the figure was 2.93 million tonnes, 0.4% more than in August 2025.
The Basque ports account for 6.7% of the Spanish port system’s total traffic in the year to August 2026, which totalled 373 million tonnes.
Bilbao ranks first among port authorities in the Basque Country with 22.6 million tonnes in the year to August 2026 (7.8% more than a year earlier). It is followed by Pasaia (2.29 million).
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 4.1% on the same months of 2025; the largest year-on-year difference was in May (up 31.3%); the highest point in the series was May, at 3.53 M, and the lowest January, at 2.42 M.
Ranking of port authorities in the Basque Country · year to date 2026
Month by month · 2026 vs 2025 · Basque Country
Full table · 2 port authorities in the Basque Country
What this indicator measures
The Basque Country has two port authorities of general interest, Bilbao and Pasaia. This page adds up their total traffic from the Puertos del Estado monthly statistics, compares them and calculates what share of the Spanish port system they represent. Ports run by the Basque Government (Bermeo, Ondarroa…) are not included in these statistics.
Context
Bilbao is the first port on the Bay of Biscay: energy bulk for the refinery and the regasification plant, steel, containers and ro-ro with northern Europe. Pasaia, much smaller, handles steel products, scrap and cars. Both depend on Basque industry and its trade with Europe.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the first port in the Basque Country by traffic?
Bilbao, with 22.6 million tonnes in the year to August 2026, 90.8% of the total.
What share of Spanish port traffic does the Basque Country handle?
6.7% in the year to August 2026: 24.9 million out of the system’s 373 million tonnes.
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 · monthly data by authority or see the original source.