First port in the world · PLSCI index
2,439.1 points
First Spanish port on the list
568.7 points
Spanish ports in the top 50
3 ports
Ports in the world with an index
929 ports
What the data say · Q3 2026
Shanghai (China) ranks first among ports in the world with 2,439.1 points in the third quarter of 2026 (0.2% more than a year earlier). It is followed by Ningbo (China) (2,110.4 points) and Singapore (1,883 points).
The largest increases were recorded by Haiphong (Vietnam) (+9.7%), Hong Kong (+7.5%) and Incheon (South Korea) (+6.5%); the steepest falls by Ambarli (Türkiye) (−8.3%), Osaka (Japan) (−6.7%) and Yokohama (Japan) (−6.2%).
The rest of the top ten are Busan (South Korea) (4th, 1,654.9 points, +1.8%), Qingdao (China) (5th, 1,421.6 points, +4.0%), Shekou (China) (6th, 1,189.5 points, +0.7%), Nansha (China) (7th, 1,095.5 points, +5.7%), Port Klang (Malaysia) (8th, 1,079.1 points, −4.5%), Hong Kong (9th, 1,052.3 points, +7.5%) and Rotterdam (Netherlands) (10th, 918 points, −3.6%).
UNCTAD publishes a connectivity index for 929 ports in the world in the third quarter of 2026; this page ranks the top 50. The index measures container services, carriers, capacity and direct connections, not the tonnes or TEU each port handles.
The port in tenth place has 918 points and the one in 50th place, 359.7 points. Of the 50 ports in the table with a comparison, 25 have a higher index than a year earlier and 25 a lower or unchanged one.
By country, the top twenty positions break down as follows: China (8); the remaining 12 positions go to 12 different countries.
The best-placed Spanish ports in the top 50 in the world are Valencia (27th, 568.7 points), Algeciras (36th, 486.5 points) and Barcelona (38th, 471.1 points).
Top 10 · Ports in the world by connectivity index (PLSCI) · Q3 2026
What this indicator measures
UNCTAD’s Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (PLSCI) ranks ports every quarter by how well they are connected to the global network of container services: number of services and carriers, deployed capacity, size of the largest ship and ports with a direct connection. Its base is 100 for the world average in the first quarter of 2023. It is not a ranking by TEU: it measures how many transport options a port offers, not how much cargo it handles, although the large container ports tend to be near the top of both lists.
Full table · 50 ports in the world
Context
Ports in China, Singapore and Busan consistently hold the top positions, because routes between Asia, Europe and the Americas converge there. Rotterdam and Antwerp are the best placed in Europe. Valencia, Algeciras and Barcelona are among the world’s top fifty thanks to their transhipment role between the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and Africa.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best-connected port in the world?
Shanghai (China), with 2,439.1 points in the third quarter of 2026.
Which three ports hold the top positions?
Shanghai (China) (2,439.1 points), Ningbo (China) (2,110.4 points) and Singapore (1,883 points) in the third quarter of 2026.
Where do Spanish ports rank?
The best-placed Spanish ports in the top 50 in the world are Valencia (27th, 568.7 points), Algeciras (36th, 486.5 points) and Barcelona (38th, 471.1 points).
When is this data updated?
UNCTAD publishes the data every quarter. Latest data available: Q3 2026.
Source
UNCTAD. To explore the data in detail, use Connectivity · port ranking or see the original source.