Busiest Seaports Container Totals (2024 TEU)
Compare the 12 busiest container seaports of 2024, from Shanghai at 51.5M TEU to Antwerp at 13.5M. Alphaliner exact full totals with counts and sources.
Visual comparison
All values
Click any row to load it as Entry A.
| Name | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Top since 2010. Fifteen straight years. | 51,500,000 teu | China, Yangshan and Waigaoqiao, rank 1 | Alphaliner Top 100 2024: Shanghai 51.5M TEU |
| Singapore Largest transshipment port. | 40,900,000 teu | Singapore, transshipment hub, rank 2 | Alphaliner Top 100 2024: Singapore 40.9M TEU |
| Ningbo-Zhoushan Fastest growth among top five. | 35,300,000 teu | China, Zhejiang, rank 3 | Alphaliner Top 100 2024: Ningbo 35.3M TEU |
| Shenzhen Pearl River Delta export gate. | 33,000,000 teu | China, Yantian and Chiwan, rank 4 | Alphaliner Top 100 2024: Shenzhen 33.0M TEU |
| Qingdao Passed Guangzhou in 2023. | 30,900,000 teu | China, Shandong, rank 5 | Alphaliner Top 100 2024: Qingdao 30.9M TEU |
| Busan 50,000 clear of Guangzhou. | 24,820,000 teu | South Korea, rank 6 | Alphaliner Top 100 2024: Busan 24.82M TEU |
| Guangzhou 50,000 behind Busan. | 24,770,000 teu | China, Nansha, rank 7 | Alphaliner Top 100 2024: Guangzhou 24.77M TEU |
| Tianjin Largest in northern China. | 23,180,000 teu | China, Bohai Rim, rank 8 | Alphaliner Top 100 2024: Tianjin 23.18M TEU |
| Jebel Ali Largest in the Middle East. | 15,200,000 teu | Dubai, UAE, rank 9 | Alphaliner Top 100 2024: Jebel Ali 15.2M TEU |
| Port Klang 600,000 behind Jebel Ali. | 14,600,000 teu | Malaysia, rank 10 | Alphaliner Top 100 2024: Port Klang 14.6M TEU |
| Rotterdam Largest in Europe. | 13,800,000 teu | Netherlands, rank 11 | Alphaliner Top 100 2024: Rotterdam 13.8M TEU |
| Antwerp-Bruges 300,000 behind Rotterdam. | 13,500,000 teu | Belgium, merged port, rank 12 | Alphaliner Top 100 2024: Antwerp 13.5M TEU |
About this converter
Shanghai handled 51.5 million TEU in 2024, about 10.6 million clear of Singapore at 40.9. Ningbo-Zhoushan at 35.3, Shenzhen at 33.0 and Qingdao at 30.9 keep China on top. Busan at 24.82 and Guangzhou at 24.77 sit 50,000 apart in sixth and seventh. Tianjin at 23.18 follows. Jebel Ali at 15.2 leads the Middle East, Port Klang at 14.6 follows, Rotterdam at 13.8 leads Europe and Antwerp-Bruges at 13.5 closes the table. TEU means one 20 foot box. Totals count loaded and empty lifts per Alphaliner rules.
How to use it
Pick two seaports and a unit in the top row. The three boxes below stay linked. Change any box and the other two update. Try Shanghai against Singapore to see the 10.6 million gap. The bars below scale to Shanghai so Antwerp looks thin next to it. Switch the unit to millions for short figures. Ratios are exact divisions of the TEU totals.
Seven of 12 sit in China. Figures are Alphaliner Top 100 2024 full year lifts. Port authority releases can differ by a few hundred thousand from Alphaliner on transshipment counting. Busan and Guangzhou differ by only 50,000, so order can flip in revisions. Jebel Ali, Port Klang, Rotterdam and Antwerp totals move with Red Sea routing each quarter.
FAQ
What is the busiest seaport?
Shanghai at 51.5M TEU in 2024. It has led every year since 2010.
What does TEU mean?
Twenty foot equivalent unit. One 40 foot box counts as two TEU.
Which European port leads?
Rotterdam at 13.8M TEU. Antwerp-Bruges follows at 13.5M.
Why do totals differ between sources?
Transshipment counting. Alphaliner counts lifts while some authorities count boxes differently by a few hundred thousand.
Sources
- Alphaliner Top 100 container ports 2024 (Shanghai 51.5; Singapore 40.9; Ningbo 35.3; Shenzhen 33.0; Qingdao 30.9; Busan 24.82; Guangzhou 24.77; Tianjin 23.18; Jebel Ali 15.2; Port Klang 14.6; Rotterdam 13.8; Antwerp 13.5M TEU)
- World Shipping Council Top 50 World Container Ports 2024
- Port authority 2024 releases: Shanghai, Singapore, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Rotterdam
Last verified: 2026-10-09 · 12 entries
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