Port ranking

World container port ranking

Leading container ports by approximate annual throughput in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). Figures are rounded and shown only where widely published data is available.

World’s Top Container Ports Ranking (2023 TEU)


1	Shanghai Route details	China	East Asia	49.2 m TEU
2	Singapore Route details	Singapore	Southeast Asia	39.0 m TEU
3	Ningbo-Zhoushan Route details	China	East Asia	35.3 m TEU
4	Shenzhen (Yantian, Shekou, Chiwan)	China	East Asia	29.9 m TEU
5	Qingdao	China	East Asia	28.8 m TEU
6	Guangzhou (Nansha)	China	East Asia	25.4 m TEU
7	Busan Route details	South Korea	East Asia	23.0 m TEU
8	Tianjin (Xingang)	China	East Asia	22.2 m TEU
9	Jebel Ali (Dubai) Route details	United Arab Emirates	Middle East & Red Sea	14.5 m TEU
10	Hong Kong Route details	Hong Kong SAR China	East Asia	14.3 m TEU
11	Port Klang Route details	Malaysia	Southeast Asia	14.1 m TEU
12	Rotterdam Route details	Netherlands	Northern Europe & Atlantic	13.4 m TEU
13	Xiamen	China	East Asia	12.5 m TEU
14	Antwerp-Bruges Route details	Belgium	Northern Europe & Atlantic	12.5 m TEU
15	Tanjung Pelepas	Malaysia	Southeast Asia	10.5 m TEU
16	Laem Chabang Route details	Thailand	Southeast Asia	8.9 m TEU
17	Kaohsiung	Taiwan	East Asia	8.8 m TEU
18	Tanger Med	Morocco	Mediterranean, Black Sea & North Africa	8.6 m TEU
19	Los Angeles Route details	United States	North America – West Coast & Mexico Pacific	8.6 m TEU
20	Long Beach Route details	United States	North America – West Coast & Mexico Pacific	8.0 m TEU
21	New York / New Jersey Route details	United States	North America – East Coast	7.8 m TEU
22	Hamburg Route details	Germany	Northern Europe & Atlantic	7.7 m TEU
23	Colombo Route details	Sri Lanka	South Asia	6.9 m TEU
24	Piraeus Route details	Greece	Mediterranean, Black Sea & North Africa	5.1 m TEU
25	Savannah Route details	United States	North America – East Coast	4.9 m TEU
26	Valencia Route details	Spain	Mediterranean, Black Sea & North Africa	4.8 m TEU
27	Algeciras	Spain	Mediterranean, Black Sea & North Africa	4.7 m TEU
28	Houston Route details	United States	Gulf of Mexico	3.8 m TEU
29	Oakland Route details	United States	North America – West Coast & Mexico Pacific	2.1 m TEU

Ports without a figure in this table are still listed in the full directory. All seaports →

Sources and method

Figures are approximate 2023 calendar-year container throughput as reported by port authorities and compiled in widely published industry rankings such as Lloyd’s List One Hundred Ports. Values are rounded to 0.1 million TEU; ports are listed only where we could match a published figure. Some ports report combined figures for several terminals or for a port group, so comparisons are indicative.

Data as of October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What does TEU mean?

TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) is the standard measure of container volume: one 20-foot container is 1 TEU and one 40-foot container is 2 TEU. Port throughput in TEU counts every container lifted on or off a ship, including transshipment moves.

Why do hub ports rank so high?

Transshipment hubs count each relayed box twice (discharge and reload), and they serve wide regions. That is why Singapore, Port Klang, Busan or Tanjung Pelepas rank highly even though their domestic markets are smaller.

Which is the busiest container port in the world?

Shanghai has been the world’s busiest container port for more than a decade, followed by Singapore and Ningbo-Zhoushan, according to port authority reports and industry rankings.

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