According to Lloyd’s List’s One Hundred Container Ports 2025, the world’s top ports handled 743.6m TEU in 2024, up 8.1% year over year, “defying expectations” to post the strongest expansion in nearly a decade.
The 2025 table (reflecting 2024 throughput) is led by Shanghai (1) and Singapore (2), followed by Ningbo-Zhoushan (3), Shenzhen (4), Qingdao (5), Guangzhou (6), Busan (7), Tianjin (8), Dubai/Jebel Ali (9) and Port Klang (10); Tanger Med (Morocco) ranks 17th as the highest-placed African gateway.
Asia remained dominant, with Chinese ports alone accounting for more than 40% of global container traffic in the Top-100 cohort.
North American gateways on the US East, West and Gulf coasts logged notable gains tied to restocking and front-loading linked to trade policy risk, while Europe posted modest increases amid war-related uncertainty.
Emerging markets including India, Vietnam and Türkiye advanced as supply chains realigned.
Los Angeles (16) and Long Beach (19) ahead of New York/New Jersey (24), with Virginia (63) and Seattle/Tacoma (66) also present.
Mundra (25) and JNPA (31) in India rose, while Ho Chi Minh City (22), Hai Phong (29) and Cai Mep (30) underline Vietnam’s momentum.
Türkiye has five entries—Ambarlı (73), Kocaeli/İzmit (87), Aliağa (92), Tekirdağ (95) and Mersin (99).
Lloyd’s List’s warns the 2024 boom may cool, with port growth easing from 7% in 2024 to a little over 3% in 2025 as tariff effects run through demand.
The Top-100 rebound and Asia’s consolidated share point to longer supply chains and persistent trade rerouting, with transhipment hubs such as Singapore, Port Klang and Tanger Med likely to retain pricing power on berths, windows and inland capacity.