2023 total
39.3 million passengers
First port · 2023
9.94 million passengers
Series high, 2012–2025
42.5 million passengers
Scheduled-line passengers
27.2 million passengers
The 2023 balance
Spanish ports received 39.3 million passengers in 2023, 19.1% more than in 2022 (6.31 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: 2023 was 7.5% below it and ranks 3rd of the 14 years with data. At the end of 2023 it was the highest figure in the series, which starts in 2012; it was later exceeded in 2024 and 2025.
In the 2023 ranking, the ports moving up on 2022 are Málaga (from 9th to 8th) and Bahía de Cádiz (from 11th to 10th); those moving down are Almería (from 8th to 9th). The top three positions are unchanged.
Scheduled-line passengers: 27.2 million passengers in 2023. Baleares ranks first on this measure, with 7.37 million passengers.
Baleares ranks first among port authorities with 9.94 million passengers in 2023 (13.6% more than in 2022). It is followed by Santa Cruz de Tenerife (6.73 million) and Bahía de Algeciras (5.54 million). Together, the three account for 56.5% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Bahía de Cádiz (+69.5%), Barcelona (+35.2%) and Bahía de Algeciras (+26.3%). 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, 5.3 million, +35.2%), Las Palmas (5th, 3.18 million, +18.7%), Ceuta (6th, 1.9 million, +4.7%), Valencia (7th, 1.56 million, +13.4%), Málaga (8th, 855,466 passengers, +23.9%), Almería (9th, 842,626 passengers, +18.3%) and Bahía de Cádiz (10th, 705,195 passengers, +69.5%).
At the bottom of the table are Vilagarcía (1,375 passengers), Pasaia (935 passengers) and Castellón (170 passengers), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 78.1% of the total and 6 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 7%. 20 of the 27 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2022, 16 of them by double digits, and 7 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2023 with data, 12 are above the same month of 2022 and 0 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 13.3% on the same months of 2022; the largest year-on-year difference was in January (up 66.4%); the highest point in the series was August, at 6.01 M, and the lowest February, at 1.83 M.
Between 2012 and 2023 the figure went from 26.9 M to 39.3 M, an increase of 46.2% over 11 years (+3.5% 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 · 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 | Baleares | 9.94 M | +13.6% | 8.75 M | 25.3% | Port |
| 2 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 6.73 M | +12.5% | 5.98 M | 17.1% | Port |
| 3 | Bahía de Algeciras | 5.54 M | +26.3% | 4.39 M | 14.1% | Port |
| 4 | Barcelona | 5.3 M | +35.2% | 3.92 M | 13.5% | Port |
| 5 | Las Palmas | 3.18 M | +18.7% | 2.68 M | 8.1% | Port |
| 6 | Ceuta | 1.9 M | +4.7% | 1.82 M | 4.8% | Port |
| 7 | Valencia | 1.56 M | +13.4% | 1.37 M | 4.0% | Port |
| 8 | Málaga | 855,466 | +23.9% | 690,530 | 2.2% | Port |
| 9 | Almería | 842,626 | +18.3% | 712,546 | 2.1% | Port |
| 10 | Bahía de Cádiz | 705,195 | +69.5% | 416,095 | 1.8% | Port |
| 11 | Melilla | 651,068 | +1.5% | 641,263 | 1.7% | Port |
| 12 | Alicante | 359,010 | +47.0% | 244,182 | 0.9% | Port |
| 13 | A Coruña | 323,991 | +45.5% | 222,723 | 0.8% | Port |
| 14 | Bilbao | 270,771 | +26.5% | 214,028 | 0.7% | Port |
| 15 | Santander | 252,843 | −2.5% | 259,448 | 0.6% | Port |
| 16 | Motril | 225,659 | +69.7% | 132,999 | 0.6% | Port |
| 17 | Vigo | 223,752 | +29.2% | 173,220 | 0.6% | Port |
| 18 | Cartagena | 187,768 | +6.9% | 175,706 | 0.5% | Port |
| 19 | Tarragona | 115,034 | +78.3% | 64,507 | 0.3% | Port |
| 20 | Huelva | 70,855 | −1.1% | 71,621 | 0.2% | Port |
| 21 | Gijón | 30,751 | +20.9% | 25,441 | 0.1% | Port |
| 22 | Sevilla | 19,728 | +7.3% | 18,384 | 0.1% | Port |
| 23 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 6,571 | −50.4% | 13,244 | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Vilagarcía | 1,375 | −33.8% | 2,076 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Pasaia | 935 | −36.8% | 1,480 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Castellón | 170 | −73.1% | 633 | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Avilés | 0 | −100.0% | 166 | 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 2023?
Baleares, with 9.94 million passengers in 2023, 25.3% of the total.
What was the passenger traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2023?
39.3 million passengers in 2023, 19.1% more than in 2022.
Was 2023 a record year?
At the time, yes: at the end of 2023, 39.3 million passengers was the highest annual figure in the series, which starts in 2012. It was later exceeded in 2024 and 2025; the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2025, with 42.5 million passengers.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · passengers or see the original source.