2022 total
33 million passengers
First port · 2022
8.75 million passengers
Series high, 2012–2025
42.5 million passengers
Month with the highest figure
5.65 million passengers
The 2022 balance
Spanish ports received 33 million passengers in 2022, 83.5% more than in 2021 (15 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 42.5 million passengers: 2022 was 22.4% below it and ranks 7th of the 14 years with data.
In the 2022 ranking, the ports moving up on 2021 are Bahía de Algeciras (from 5th to 3rd) and Almería (from 13th to 8th); those moving down are Las Palmas (from 3rd to 5th), Málaga (from 8th to 9th) and Melilla (from 9th to 10th).
Baleares ranks first among port authorities with 8.75 million passengers in 2022 (45.5% more than in 2021). It is followed by Santa Cruz de Tenerife (5.98 million) and Bahía de Algeciras (4.39 million). Together, the three account for 57.9% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Almería (+866.0%), Bahía de Algeciras (+234.5%) and Bahía de Cádiz (+173.8%). 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, 3.92 million, +161.7%), Las Palmas (5th, 2.68 million, +55.1%), Ceuta (6th, 1.82 million, +92.7%), Valencia (7th, 1.37 million, +116.1%), Almería (8th, 712,546 passengers, +866.0%), Málaga (9th, 690,530 passengers, +126.1%) and Melilla (10th, 641,263 passengers, +141.6%).
At the bottom of the table are Pasaia (1,480 passengers), Castellón (633 passengers) and Avilés (166 passengers), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 78% of the total and 6 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 6.2%. 26 of the 27 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2021, 26 of them by double digits, and 1 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2022 with data, 12 are above the same month of 2021 and 0 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 35.7% on the same months of 2021; the largest year-on-year difference was in August (up 90.8%); the highest point in the series was August, at 5.65 M, and the lowest January, at 1.22 M.
Between 2012 and 2022 the figure went from 26.9 M to 33 M, an increase of 22.7% over 10 years (+2.1% a year on average). The best year was 2019 (37.6 M) and the worst 2020 (13.3 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 | Baleares | 8.75 M | +45.5% | 6.01 M | 26.5% | Port |
| 2 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 5.98 M | +31.3% | 4.55 M | 18.1% | Port |
| 3 | Bahía de Algeciras | 4.39 M | +234.5% | 1.31 M | 13.3% | Port |
| 4 | Barcelona | 3.92 M | +161.7% | 1.5 M | 11.9% | Port |
| 5 | Las Palmas | 2.68 M | +55.1% | 1.73 M | 8.1% | Port |
| 6 | Ceuta | 1.82 M | +92.7% | 943,457 | 5.5% | Port |
| 7 | Valencia | 1.37 M | +116.1% | 635,689 | 4.2% | Port |
| 8 | Almería | 712,546 | +866.0% | 73,763 | 2.2% | Port |
| 9 | Málaga | 690,530 | +126.1% | 305,346 | 2.1% | Port |
| 10 | Melilla | 641,263 | +141.6% | 265,474 | 1.9% | Port |
| 11 | Bahía de Cádiz | 416,095 | +173.8% | 151,952 | 1.3% | Port |
| 12 | Santander | 259,448 | +115.4% | 120,467 | 0.8% | Port |
| 13 | Alicante | 244,182 | +266.0% | 66,709 | 0.7% | Port |
| 14 | A Coruña | 222,723 | +638.1% | 30,177 | 0.7% | Port |
| 15 | Bilbao | 214,028 | +189.8% | 73,853 | 0.6% | Port |
| 16 | Cartagena | 175,706 | +150.7% | 70,087 | 0.5% | Port |
| 17 | Vigo | 173,220 | +399.8% | 34,656 | 0.5% | Port |
| 18 | Motril | 132,999 | +236.5% | 39,527 | 0.4% | Port |
| 19 | Huelva | 71,621 | +47.1% | 48,692 | 0.2% | Port |
| 20 | Tarragona | 64,507 | +3,304.1% | 1,895 | 0.2% | Port |
| 21 | Gijón | 25,441 | +615.0% | 3,558 | 0.1% | Port |
| 22 | Sevilla | 18,384 | +295.6% | 4,647 | 0.1% | Port |
| 23 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 13,244 | +327.8% | 3,096 | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Vilagarcía | 2,076 | +78.0% | 1,166 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Pasaia | 1,480 | +980.3% | 137 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Castellón | 633 | −41.2% | 1,077 | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Avilés | 166 | +21.2% | 137 | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 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.
Frequently asked questions
Which was Spain’s first port by passenger traffic in 2022?
Baleares, with 8.75 million passengers in 2022, 26.5% of the total.
What was the passenger traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2022?
33 million passengers in 2022, 83.5% more than in 2021.
Was 2022 a record year?
No: the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2025, with 42.5 million passengers; 2022 was 22.4% below it.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · passengers or see the original source.