Year to date · January–August 2026
29.1 million passengers
August 2026 only
6.36 million passengers
First port
6.83 million passengers
Scheduled-line passengers
19.9 million passengers
What the data say · August 2026
Spanish ports received 29.1 million passengers in the year to August 2026, 0.7% less than in the same period of 2025. In August alone, the figure was 6.36 million passengers, 0.4% more than in August 2025.
In August, 15 of the 23 port authorities with data improved on their August 2025 figure.
Scheduled-line passengers: 19.9 million passengers in the year to August 2026, 2.5% less than a year earlier. Baleares ranks first on this measure, with 5.19 million passengers.
2025 closed with 42.5 million passengers, 4% more than in 2024. It is the highest figure in the entire annual series.
Baleares ranks first among port authorities with 6.83 million passengers in the year to August 2026 (4% less than a year earlier). It is followed by Santa Cruz de Tenerife (4.95 million) and Bahía de Algeciras (4.51 million). Together, the three account for 55.9% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Bahía de Cádiz (+16.8%), Melilla (+11.9%) and Barcelona (+5.1%); the steepest falls by Ceuta (−12.6%), Valencia (−11.5%) and Baleares (−4.0%). 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 Barcelona (4th, 4.17 million, +5.1%), Las Palmas (5th, 2.4 million, +4.8%), Ceuta (6th, 1.23 million, −12.6%), Valencia (7th, 1.01 million, −11.5%), Almería (8th, 700,499 passengers, −1.8%), Málaga (9th, 582,456 passengers, +1.1%) and Melilla (10th, 475,896 passengers, +11.9%).
At the bottom of the table are Pasaia (1,380 passengers), Castellón (877 passengers) and Avilés (294 passengers), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 78.5% of the total and 6 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 7.7%. 18 of the 27 port authorities with a comparison grew year on year, 8 of them by double digits, and 9 fell.
Of the 8 months of 2026 with data, 4 are above the same month of 2025 and 4 below; over the last three months (June, July, August) the figure is down 0.1% on the same months of 2025; the largest year-on-year difference was in April (down 12.7%); the highest point in the series was August, at 6.36 M, and the lowest February, at 2.07 M.
Between 2014 and 2025 the figure went from 29.3 M to 42.5 M, an increase of 44.9% over 11 years (+3.4% a year on average); the last year is the high point of the series and the low was 2020 (13.3 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · year to date 2026
Month by month · 2026 vs 2025
Annual series for the port system
Full table · 28 port authorities
| # | Port authorities | Jan–Aug 2026 | YoY change | August | Monthly change | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baleares | 6.83 M | −4.0% | 1.62 M | −0.8% | 23.5% | Port |
| 2 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 4.95 M | +0.8% | 693,867 | +5.4% | 17.0% | Port |
| 3 | Bahía de Algeciras | 4.51 M | −3.6% | 1.32 M | −5.5% | 15.5% | Port |
| 4 | Barcelona | 4.17 M | +5.1% | 941,186 | +4.4% | 14.3% | Port |
| 5 | Las Palmas | 2.4 M | +4.8% | 233,764 | +3.4% | 8.3% | Port |
| 6 | Ceuta | 1.23 M | −12.6% | 218,871 | −20.7% | 4.2% | Port |
| 7 | Valencia | 1.01 M | −11.5% | 265,698 | +8.0% | 3.5% | Port |
| 8 | Almería | 700,499 | −1.8% | 273,227 | −2.4% | 2.4% | Port |
| 9 | Málaga | 582,456 | +1.1% | 125,260 | +2.1% | 2.0% | Port |
| 10 | Melilla | 475,896 | +11.9% | 124,231 | +6.3% | 1.6% | Port |
| 11 | Bahía de Cádiz | 438,518 | +16.8% | 83,348 | +26.2% | 1.5% | Port |
| 12 | Alicante | 298,788 | +0.9% | 59,192 | −27.6% | 1.0% | Port |
| 13 | A Coruña | 282,246 | −7.5% | 73,245 | +39.1% | 1.0% | Port |
| 14 | Bilbao | 279,607 | +19.1% | 86,984 | +53.2% | 1.0% | Port |
| 15 | Motril | 210,599 | +16.1% | 71,748 | +1.6% | 0.7% | Port |
| 16 | Vigo | 187,371 | +0.4% | 28,776 | +11.0% | 0.6% | Port |
| 17 | Santander | 185,890 | +3.3% | 51,415 | +30.5% | 0.6% | Port |
| 18 | Cartagena | 175,175 | +10.7% | 26,443 | −32.5% | 0.6% | Port |
| 19 | Tarragona | 84,612 | +7.0% | 28,838 | +31.8% | 0.3% | Port |
| 20 | Gijón | 45,383 | +32.7% | 13,503 | +449.8% | 0.2% | Port |
| 21 | Huelva | 30,608 | −15.2% | 4,253 | −37.1% | 0.1% | Port |
| 22 | Sevilla | 13,024 | +9.5% | 712 | −11.3% | 0.0% | Port |
| 23 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 11,084 | +1.6% | 6,107 | +1,922.2% | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Pasaia | 1,380 | +26.7% | 0 | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Castellón | 877 | −49.5% | 632 | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Avilés | 294 | +33.0% | 0 | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 0 | — | 0 | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Vilagarcía | 0 | −100.0% | 0 | — | 0.0% | Port |
What this indicator measures
Total passengers include scheduled lines (ferries to the Balearic and Canary Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, Morocco, Algeria and Italy), cruises and harbour services. It is a highly seasonal traffic: July and August bring Operation Crossing the Strait (Operación Paso del Estrecho) and the Balearic high season, while cruises peak in spring and autumn.
Context
The Balearic Islands are traditionally the first authority by passengers thanks to inter-island and mainland ferries, followed by Barcelona (cruises), Bahía de Algeciras (the Strait), Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Ceuta and Melilla handle little cargo by weight but very high passenger numbers per inhabitant.
Frequently asked questions
Which Spanish port has the most passengers?
Baleares, with 6.83 million passengers in the year to August 2026, 23.5% of the total.
How many passengers have passed through Spanish ports this year?
29.1 million passengers in the year to August 2026, 0.7% less than in the same period of 2025.
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 · passengers or see the original source.
Previous years
The balance for each completed year: total figure, full port ranking and comparison with the series high.
- Spanish ports ranked by passengers in 2025
- Spanish ports ranked by passengers in 2024
- Spanish ports ranked by passengers in 2023
- Spanish ports ranked by passengers in 2022
- Spanish ports ranked by passengers in 2021
- Spanish ports ranked by passengers in 2020
- Spanish ports ranked by passengers in 2019
- Spanish ports ranked by passengers in 2018
- Spanish ports ranked by passengers in 2017
- Spanish ports ranked by passengers in 2016
- Spanish ports ranked by passengers in 2015