2022 total
17.1 million TEU
First port · 2022
5.05 million TEU
Series high, 2012–2025
18.6 million TEU
Transhipment TEU
8.83 million TEU
The 2022 balance
Spanish ports handled 17.1 million TEU in 2022, 3.3% less than in 2021 (586,012 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: 2022 was 8% below it and ranks 6th of the 14 years with data.
In the 2022 ranking, the ports moving up on 2021 are Málaga (from 8th to 7th); those moving down are Vigo (from 7th to 8th). The top three positions are unchanged.
Transhipment TEU: 8.83 million TEU in 2022, 6.2% less than in 2021. Bahía de Algeciras ranks first on this measure, with 3.95 million TEU.
Valencia ranks first among port authorities with 5.05 million TEU in 2022 (9.9% less than in 2021). It is followed by Bahía de Algeciras (4.77 million) and Barcelona (3.52 million). Together, the three account for 77.8% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Alicante (+21.5%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (+10.0%) and Bahía de Cádiz (+1.2%); the steepest falls by Valencia (−9.9%), Bilbao (−7.8%) and Vigo (−5.5%). 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, 1.16 million, −1.1%), Bilbao (5th, 496,625 TEU, −7.8%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (6th, 479,698 TEU, +10.0%), Málaga (7th, 227,875 TEU, −3.8%), Vigo (8th, 226,129 TEU, −5.5%), Bahía de Cádiz (9th, 217,500 TEU, +1.2%) and Alicante (10th, 210,345 TEU, +21.5%).
At the bottom of the table are Ceuta (5,365 TEU), Motril (12 TEU) and A Coruña (10 TEU), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 87.5% of the total and 4 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 4.6%. 10 of the 26 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2021, 6 of them by double digits, and 16 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2022 with data, 4 are above the same month of 2021 and 8 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is down 10.7% on the same months of 2021; the largest year-on-year difference was in November (down 17.4%); the highest point in the series was May, at 1.6 M, and the lowest November, at 1.23 M.
Between 2012 and 2022 the figure went from 14.1 M to 17.1 M, an increase of 21.8% over 10 years (+2.0% a year on average). The best year was 2021 (17.7 M) and the worst 2013 (13.9 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · 2022
Month by month · 2022 vs 2021
Annual series, 2012–2022
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2022
| # | Port authorities | 2022 | Change on 2021 | 2021 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valencia | 5.05 M | −9.9% | 5.6 M | 29.5% | Port |
| 2 | Bahía de Algeciras | 4.77 M | −0.7% | 4.8 M | 27.8% | Port |
| 3 | Barcelona | 3.52 M | −0.2% | 3.53 M | 20.5% | Port |
| 4 | Las Palmas | 1.16 M | −1.1% | 1.18 M | 6.8% | Port |
| 5 | Bilbao | 496,625 | −7.8% | 538,917 | 2.9% | Port |
| 6 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 479,698 | +10.0% | 435,909 | 2.8% | Port |
| 7 | Málaga | 227,875 | −3.8% | 236,811 | 1.3% | Port |
| 8 | Vigo | 226,129 | −5.5% | 239,302 | 1.3% | Port |
| 9 | Bahía de Cádiz | 217,500 | +1.2% | 214,868 | 1.3% | Port |
| 10 | Alicante | 210,345 | +21.5% | 173,058 | 1.2% | Port |
| 11 | Sevilla | 141,231 | +4.0% | 135,742 | 0.8% | Port |
| 12 | Castellón | 103,254 | −20.5% | 129,877 | 0.6% | Port |
| 13 | Baleares | 97,232 | −9.1% | 106,942 | 0.6% | Port |
| 14 | Tarragona | 83,335 | +52.2% | 54,759 | 0.5% | Port |
| 15 | Huelva | 81,343 | +0.9% | 80,589 | 0.5% | Port |
| 16 | Cartagena | 52,525 | +3.8% | 50,579 | 0.3% | Port |
| 17 | Gijón | 46,672 | −18.9% | 57,559 | 0.3% | Port |
| 18 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 45,988 | +11.9% | 41,099 | 0.3% | Port |
| 19 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 37,102 | +120.3% | 16,844 | 0.2% | Port |
| 20 | Vilagarcía | 33,136 | −2.4% | 33,937 | 0.2% | Port |
| 21 | Santander | 29,557 | −21.7% | 37,758 | 0.2% | Port |
| 22 | Almería | 22,068 | −12.7% | 25,270 | 0.1% | Port |
| 23 | Melilla | 5,812 | −26.6% | 7,919 | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Ceuta | 5,365 | −8.7% | 5,874 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Motril | 12 | — | 0 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | A Coruña | 10 | +233.3% | 3 | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Avilés | 0 | −100.0% | 22 | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Pasaia | 0 | — | 0 | 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 2022?
Valencia, with 5.05 million TEU in 2022, 29.5% of the total.
What was the container traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2022?
17.1 million TEU in 2022, 3.3% less than in 2021.
Was 2022 a record year?
No: the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2025, with 18.6 million TEU; 2022 was 8% below it.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · containers or see the original source.