Container Port Traffic by Country – 2001/2020

The first transport container was born in April 1956. The inventor of this container belongs to Malcolm McLean, an American entrepreneur in the transport sector who came up with an idea that is still being used today all over the world. Container Port Traffic by Country video.

But what is the volume of container traffic in the world today? And which are the countries in the world with the most container traffic from 2001 to 2020?

Container port traffic

At world level, 2020 showed a slight crisis in terms of container transport. In fact, the millions of TEUs that were transported in 2020 were estimated at 775. A figure slightly down on 2019, where the figure was 802, and 2018, where the figure was 784, but still decidedly high compared to previous years.

This trend is increasingly confirmed by the fact that exports worldwide are growing steadily.

Country with more port traffic

If, despite the covid-19 pandemic, container traffic in ports held up in 2020, which are the world’s nations with the most traffic? At the top of the list in 2020 is China. As with so many other statistics, China has managed to come out on top over time. If in 2001 China had a traffic of 41 million TEUs and the United States of 27 million 300 thousand in 2020 the gap is definitely different.

China had a traffic of 242 million TEUs in 2020 and the United States has a lower value of more than 180 thousand.

In third place in the world among the first nations with the largest container traffic in ports are Singapore with 36,870,900 TEUs and in fourth position Korea followed by Malaysia and Japan. The first European nation for container traffic is Geramnia with a value in 2020 of 19,596,420.

Interestingly, the top 2020 ranking also includes India with 17,053,200 TEUs. India, which entered the top 15 nations in the world only 13 years ago, between 2007 and 2008.

In 2001, the situation was quite different. As we said, China was still in first place, but the gap between China and the US was much smaller. Not only that, but there were also many more European countries in the top 15. These included not only Germany, but also the UK, Italy and the Netherlands.

Top 10 Country by Container port traffic in 2020:

  • China: 242,000,000 TEUs
  • United States: 54,963,689 TEUs
  • Singapore 36,870,900 TEUs
  • Korea Rep: 28,425,017 TEUs
  • Malaysia: 26,215,100 TEUs
  • Japan: 21,708,860 TEUs
  • Germany: 19,596,420 TEUs
  • UAE: 19,297,684 TEUs
  • Hong Kong: 17,969,000 TEUs
  • Spain: 17,6328,960 TEUs

Busiest container ports

If we have how China, over time, has become the real leader in terms of ports through which containers pass, which are the ports where there is the most container traffic?

The 2020 data show that of the world’s 10 ports for container traffic, seven are Chinese. The most important port in the world by container traffic is located in Yangtze Delta. In 2020, the traffic was 43,500,000 million TEUs. This port alone, if it were considered a separate nation, would be in third position behind the United States.

Among the world’s top ports for container traffic in second place is Singapore at Singapore Strait. With a traffic of 36,600 TEUs it is in second place followed by Ningbo-Zhoushan. From third to sixth position are all Chinese ports up to the week position occupied by the port of Busan. This port had a total traffic of 21,590,000 TEUs. The first European port in this ranking is Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, which is in tenth position overall.

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See the video here: Top Countries by Total Exports – 1970/2020: https://youtu.be/A5ZNcsIqysM

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