2020 total
16.8 million TEU
First port · 2020
5.43 million TEU
Series high, 2012–2025
18.6 million TEU
Transhipment TEU
9.38 million TEU
The 2020 balance
Spanish ports handled 16.8 million TEU in 2020, 4.1% less than in 2019 (716,914 TEU less). These are the final figures from Puertos del Estado’s statistical yearbook for the 28 port authorities.
The high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2025, with 18.6 million TEU: 2020 was 9.9% below it and ranks 7th of the 14 years with data.
In the 2020 ranking, the ports moving up on 2019 are Alicante (from 10th to 8th) and Sevilla (from 11th to 10th). The top three positions are unchanged.
Transhipment TEU: 9.38 million TEU in 2020, 0.3% less than in 2019. Bahía de Algeciras ranks first on this measure, with 4.43 million TEU.
Valencia ranks first among port authorities with 5.43 million TEU in 2020 (0.2% less than in 2019). It is followed by Bahía de Algeciras (5.11 million) and Barcelona (2.96 million). Together, the three account for 80.4% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Vigo (+5.6%) and Las Palmas (+2.6%); the steepest falls by Bilbao (−22.7%), Barcelona (−11.0%) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (−8.3%). 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 Las Palmas (4th, 1.03 million, +2.6%), Bilbao (5th, 485,777 TEU, −22.7%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (6th, 376,762 TEU, −8.3%), Vigo (7th, 228,728 TEU, +5.6%), Alicante (8th, 158,031 TEU, −7.7%), Castellón (9th, 130,972 TEU, −35.4%) and Sevilla (10th, 126,163 TEU, −7.7%).
At the bottom of the table are Pasaia (4,366 TEU), Motril (67 TEU) and A Coruña (3 TEU), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 89.4% of the total and 3 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 4.5%. 8 of the 27 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2019, 5 of them by double digits, and 19 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2020 with data, 4 are above the same month of 2019 and 8 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 6.8% on the same months of 2019; the largest year-on-year difference was in May (down 21.5%); the highest point in the series was October, at 1.53 M, and the lowest May, at 1.23 M.
Between 2012 and 2020 the figure went from 14.1 M to 16.8 M, an increase of 19.2% over 8 years (+2.2% a year on average). The best year was 2019 (17.5 M) and the worst 2013 (13.9 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · 2020
Month by month · 2020 vs 2019
Annual series, 2012–2020
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2020
| # | Port authorities | 2020 | Change on 2019 | 2019 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valencia | 5.43 M | −0.2% | 5.44 M | 32.3% | Port |
| 2 | Bahía de Algeciras | 5.11 M | −0.3% | 5.13 M | 30.4% | Port |
| 3 | Barcelona | 2.96 M | −11.0% | 3.32 M | 17.6% | Port |
| 4 | Las Palmas | 1.03 M | +2.6% | 1.01 M | 6.2% | Port |
| 5 | Bilbao | 485,777 | −22.7% | 628,426 | 2.9% | Port |
| 6 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 376,762 | −8.3% | 410,968 | 2.2% | Port |
| 7 | Vigo | 228,728 | +5.6% | 216,500 | 1.4% | Port |
| 8 | Alicante | 158,031 | −7.7% | 171,270 | 0.9% | Port |
| 9 | Castellón | 130,972 | −35.4% | 202,828 | 0.8% | Port |
| 10 | Sevilla | 126,163 | −7.7% | 136,627 | 0.8% | Port |
| 11 | Málaga | 123,871 | −40.8% | 209,226 | 0.7% | Port |
| 12 | Bahía de Cádiz | 108,914 | +88.3% | 57,839 | 0.6% | Port |
| 13 | Baleares | 91,883 | −23.7% | 120,400 | 0.5% | Port |
| 14 | Gijón | 84,735 | +11.7% | 75,857 | 0.5% | Port |
| 15 | Huelva | 83,802 | +13.3% | 73,978 | 0.5% | Port |
| 16 | Cartagena | 57,072 | −15.6% | 67,606 | 0.3% | Port |
| 17 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 44,288 | −42.2% | 76,645 | 0.3% | Port |
| 18 | Tarragona | 43,788 | −8.7% | 47,985 | 0.3% | Port |
| 19 | Vilagarcía | 35,890 | −13.0% | 41,257 | 0.2% | Port |
| 20 | Santander | 26,149 | +82.7% | 14,316 | 0.2% | Port |
| 21 | Almería | 23,924 | +1.9% | 23,476 | 0.1% | Port |
| 22 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 12,473 | +50.7% | 8,278 | 0.1% | Port |
| 23 | Melilla | 11,276 | −37.2% | 17,955 | 0.1% | Port |
| 24 | Ceuta | 6,020 | −44.2% | 10,798 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Pasaia | 4,366 | — | 0 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Motril | 67 | −89.1% | 613 | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | A Coruña | 3 | −50.0% | 6 | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Avilés | 0 | −100.0% | 4 | 0.0% | Port |
What this indicator measures
The TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) is the standard measure of container traffic. Puertos del Estado counts every container handled, full and empty, and separates import and export boxes, domestic cabotage and transhipment containers, which arrive on one ship and leave on another without entering Spain. In Algeciras and Valencia transhipment makes up more than half of the total.
Frequently asked questions
Which was Spain’s first port by container traffic in 2020?
Valencia, with 5.43 million TEU in 2020, 32.3% of the total.
What was the container traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2020?
16.8 million TEU in 2020, 4.1% less than in 2019.
Was 2020 a record year?
No: the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2025, with 18.6 million TEU; 2020 was 9.9% below it.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · containers or see the original source.