Spanish ports ranked by passengers in 2024: the year in review

Spanish ports received 40.9 million passengers in 2024, 4% more than in 2023 (1.56 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: 2024 was 3.8% 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 Almería (from 9th to 8th); those moving down are Málaga (from 8th to 9th). The top three positions are unchanged.

Scheduled-line passengers: 28 million passengers in 2024, 2.8% more than in 2023. Baleares ranks first on this measure, with 7.53 million passengers.

Baleares ranks first among port authorities with 10 million passengers in 2024 (1% more than in 2023). It is followed by Santa Cruz de Tenerife (6.87 million) and Bahía de Algeciras (5.95 million). Together, the three account for 55.9% of the total.

The largest increases were recorded by Almería (+17.3%), Las Palmas (+10.5%) and Melilla (+9.4%); the steepest falls by Málaga (−2.7%). 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, 5.4 million, +1.7%), Las Palmas (5th, 3.52 million, +10.5%), Ceuta (6th, 1.95 million, +2.3%), Valencia (7th, 1.61 million, +3.1%), Almería (8th, 988,435 passengers, +17.3%), Málaga (9th, 832,682 passengers, −2.7%) and Bahía de Cádiz (10th, 736,496 passengers, +4.4%).

At the bottom of the table are Marín y Ría de Pontevedra (765 passengers), Castellón (743 passengers) and Pasaia (665 passengers), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.

The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 77.7% of the total and 6 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 7.3%. 22 of the 26 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2023, 9 of them by double digits, and 4 fell.

Of the 12 months of 2024 with data, 9 are above the same month of 2023 and 3 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 4.9% on the same months of 2023; the largest year-on-year difference was in November (up 15.3%); the highest point in the series was August, at 6.32 M, and the lowest February, at 1.95 M.

Between 2012 and 2024 the figure went from 26.9 M to 40.9 M, an increase of 52% over 12 years (+3.6% a year on average); the last year is the high point of the series and the low was 2020 (13.3 M).

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.

Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · passengers or see the original source.