2023 total
16.4 million TEU
First port · 2023
4.8 million TEU
Series high, 2012–2025
18.6 million TEU
Transhipment TEU
8.4 million TEU
The 2023 balance
Spanish ports handled 16.4 million TEU in 2023, 4.5% less than in 2022 (774,863 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: 2023 was 12.1% below it and ranks 8th of the 14 years with data.
In the 2023 ranking, the ports moving up on 2022 are Santa Cruz de Tenerife (from 6th to 5th), Vigo (from 8th to 7th) and Bahía de Cádiz (from 9th to 8th); those moving down are Bilbao (from 5th to 6th). The top three positions are unchanged.
Transhipment TEU: 8.4 million TEU in 2023, 4.9% less than in 2022. Bahía de Algeciras ranks first on this measure, with 3.96 million TEU.
Valencia ranks first among port authorities with 4.8 million TEU in 2023 (5.1% less than in 2022). It is followed by Bahía de Algeciras (4.73 million) and Barcelona (3.28 million). Together, the three account for 78.2% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Santa Cruz de Tenerife (+3.5%), Las Palmas (+3.5%) and Vigo (+0.1%); the steepest falls by Alicante (−18.4%), Bahía de Cádiz (−8.1%) and Barcelona (−6.9%). 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, 1.21 million, +3.5%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (5th, 496,691 TEU, +3.5%), Bilbao (6th, 492,481 TEU, −0.8%), Vigo (7th, 226,463 TEU, +0.1%), Bahía de Cádiz (8th, 199,871 TEU, −8.1%), Alicante (9th, 171,729 TEU, −18.4%) and Sevilla (10th, 143,359 TEU, +1.5%).
At the bottom of the table are Ceuta (5,356 TEU), Motril (738 TEU) and A Coruña (14 TEU), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 88.6% of the total and 4 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 3.8%. 10 of the 26 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2022, 5 of them by double digits, and 16 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2023 with data, 3 are above the same month of 2022 and 9 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 4.2% on the same months of 2022; the largest year-on-year difference was in January (down 12.1%); the highest point in the series was May, at 1.47 M, and the lowest February, at 1.22 M.
Between 2012 and 2023 the figure went from 14.1 M to 16.4 M, an increase of 16.3% over 11 years (+1.4% 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 · 2023
Month by month · 2023 vs 2022
Annual series, 2012–2023
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2023
| # | Port authorities | 2023 | Change on 2022 | 2022 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valencia | 4.8 M | −5.1% | 5.05 M | 29.3% | Port |
| 2 | Bahía de Algeciras | 4.73 M | −0.7% | 4.77 M | 28.9% | Port |
| 3 | Barcelona | 3.28 M | −6.9% | 3.52 M | 20.0% | Port |
| 4 | Las Palmas | 1.21 M | +3.5% | 1.16 M | 7.4% | Port |
| 5 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 496,691 | +3.5% | 479,698 | 3.0% | Port |
| 6 | Bilbao | 492,481 | −0.8% | 496,625 | 3.0% | Port |
| 7 | Vigo | 226,463 | +0.1% | 226,129 | 1.4% | Port |
| 8 | Bahía de Cádiz | 199,871 | −8.1% | 217,500 | 1.2% | Port |
| 9 | Alicante | 171,729 | −18.4% | 210,345 | 1.0% | Port |
| 10 | Sevilla | 143,359 | +1.5% | 141,231 | 0.9% | Port |
| 11 | Baleares | 91,467 | −5.9% | 97,232 | 0.6% | Port |
| 12 | Huelva | 88,803 | +9.2% | 81,343 | 0.5% | Port |
| 13 | Castellón | 71,783 | −30.5% | 103,254 | 0.4% | Port |
| 14 | Gijón | 64,669 | +38.6% | 46,672 | 0.4% | Port |
| 15 | Santander | 57,372 | +94.1% | 29,557 | 0.4% | Port |
| 16 | Cartagena | 50,689 | −3.5% | 52,525 | 0.3% | Port |
| 17 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 44,733 | −2.7% | 45,988 | 0.3% | Port |
| 18 | Málaga | 40,593 | −82.2% | 227,875 | 0.2% | Port |
| 19 | Tarragona | 34,132 | −59.0% | 83,335 | 0.2% | Port |
| 20 | Vilagarcía | 29,087 | −12.2% | 33,136 | 0.2% | Port |
| 21 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 25,488 | −31.3% | 37,102 | 0.2% | Port |
| 22 | Almería | 16,775 | −24.0% | 22,068 | 0.1% | Port |
| 23 | Melilla | 6,426 | +10.6% | 5,812 | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Ceuta | 5,356 | −0.2% | 5,365 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Motril | 738 | +6,050.0% | 12 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | A Coruña | 14 | +40.0% | 10 | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Avilés | 0 | — | 0 | 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 2023?
Valencia, with 4.8 million TEU in 2023, 29.3% of the total.
What was the container traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2023?
16.4 million TEU in 2023, 4.5% less than in 2022.
Was 2023 a record year?
No: the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2025, with 18.6 million TEU; 2023 was 12.1% below it.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · containers or see the original source.