2024 total
18.1 million TEU
First port · 2024
5.48 million TEU
Series high, 2012–2025
18.6 million TEU
Transhipment TEU
9.66 million TEU
The 2024 balance
Spanish ports handled 18.1 million TEU in 2024, 10.7% more than in 2023 (1.76 million more). 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: 2024 was 2.7% below it and ranks 2nd of the 14 years with data. At the end of 2024 it was the highest figure in the series, which starts in 2012; it was later exceeded in 2025.
In the 2024 ranking, the ports moving up on 2023 are Málaga (from 18th to 9th); those moving down are Alicante (from 9th to 10th). The top three positions are unchanged.
Transhipment TEU: 9.66 million TEU in 2024, 15.1% more than in 2023. Bahía de Algeciras ranks first on this measure, with 4.07 million TEU.
Valencia ranks first among port authorities with 5.48 million TEU in 2024 (14.2% more than in 2023). It is followed by Bahía de Algeciras (4.71 million) and Barcelona (3.89 million). Together, the three account for 77.6% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Málaga (+433.7%), Vigo (+31.6%) and Barcelona (+18.5%); the steepest falls by Bilbao (−6.8%) and Bahía de Algeciras (−0.4%). 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, 1.33 million, +10.3%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (5th, 508,899 TEU, +2.5%), Bilbao (6th, 458,928 TEU, −6.8%), Vigo (7th, 298,005 TEU, +31.6%), Bahía de Cádiz (8th, 221,766 TEU, +11.0%), Málaga (9th, 216,629 TEU, +433.7%) and Alicante (10th, 180,819 TEU, +5.3%).
At the bottom of the table are Ceuta (5,174 TEU), Motril (432 TEU) and A Coruña (34 TEU), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 87.8% of the total and 4 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 4.7%. 18 of the 26 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2023, 11 of them by double digits, and 8 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2024 with data, 12 are above the same month of 2023 and 0 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 6.7% on the same months of 2023; the largest year-on-year difference was in April (up 16.8%); the highest point in the series was May, at 1.65 M, and the lowest January, at 1.37 M.
Between 2012 and 2024 the figure went from 14.1 M to 18.1 M, an increase of 28.7% over 12 years (+2.1% a year on average); the last year is the high point of the series and the low was 2013 (13.9 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · 2024
Month by month · 2024 vs 2023
Annual series, 2012–2024
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2024
| # | Port authorities | 2024 | Change on 2023 | 2023 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valencia | 5.48 M | +14.2% | 4.8 M | 30.2% | Port |
| 2 | Bahía de Algeciras | 4.71 M | −0.4% | 4.73 M | 26.0% | Port |
| 3 | Barcelona | 3.89 M | +18.5% | 3.28 M | 21.4% | Port |
| 4 | Las Palmas | 1.33 M | +10.3% | 1.21 M | 7.3% | Port |
| 5 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 508,899 | +2.5% | 496,691 | 2.8% | Port |
| 6 | Bilbao | 458,928 | −6.8% | 492,481 | 2.5% | Port |
| 7 | Vigo | 298,005 | +31.6% | 226,463 | 1.6% | Port |
| 8 | Bahía de Cádiz | 221,766 | +11.0% | 199,871 | 1.2% | Port |
| 9 | Málaga | 216,629 | +433.7% | 40,593 | 1.2% | Port |
| 10 | Alicante | 180,819 | +5.3% | 171,729 | 1.0% | Port |
| 11 | Sevilla | 152,328 | +6.3% | 143,359 | 0.8% | Port |
| 12 | Santander | 149,786 | +161.1% | 57,372 | 0.8% | Port |
| 13 | Huelva | 107,167 | +20.7% | 88,803 | 0.6% | Port |
| 14 | Castellón | 87,279 | +21.6% | 71,783 | 0.5% | Port |
| 15 | Baleares | 84,427 | −7.7% | 91,467 | 0.5% | Port |
| 16 | Gijón | 70,188 | +8.5% | 64,669 | 0.4% | Port |
| 17 | Cartagena | 54,021 | +6.6% | 50,689 | 0.3% | Port |
| 18 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 48,255 | +7.9% | 44,733 | 0.3% | Port |
| 19 | Vilagarcía | 32,926 | +13.2% | 29,087 | 0.2% | Port |
| 20 | Almería | 17,016 | +1.4% | 16,775 | 0.1% | Port |
| 21 | Tarragona | 14,425 | −57.7% | 34,132 | 0.1% | Port |
| 22 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 14,209 | −44.3% | 25,488 | 0.1% | Port |
| 23 | Melilla | 5,656 | −12.0% | 6,426 | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Ceuta | 5,174 | −3.4% | 5,356 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Motril | 432 | −41.5% | 738 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | A Coruña | 34 | +142.9% | 14 | 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 2024?
Valencia, with 5.48 million TEU in 2024, 30.2% of the total.
What was the container traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2024?
18.1 million TEU in 2024, 10.7% more than in 2023.
Was 2024 a record year?
At the time, yes: at the end of 2024, 18.1 million TEU was the highest annual figure in the series, which starts in 2012. It was later exceeded in 2025; the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2025, with 18.6 million TEU.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · containers or see the original source.