There are many ways to rank ports, but throughput remains the most direct measure. While the ranking of the world's top ten ports by throughput hasn't changed dramatically in 2025, certain trends are emerging — and some new faces may break into the top ten in the near future.
2025 Global Top 10 Container Ports
In 2025, the world's top ten container ports are: Shanghai (1), Singapore (2), Ningbo-Zhoushan (3), Shenzhen (4), Qingdao (5), Guangzhou (6), Busan (7), Tianjin (8), Jebel Ali (9), and Port Klang (10). The ranking remains unchanged from 2024, with Chinese ports occupying six of the ten positions.
| Rank | Port | Country | 2025 (10K TEU) | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shanghai | China | 5,506 | +6.9% |
| 2 | Singapore | Singapore | 4,466 | +8.6% |
| 3 | Ningbo-Zhoushan | China | 4,387 | +11.6% |
| 4 | Shenzhen | China | 3,541 | +6.0% |
| 5 | Qingdao | China | 3,289 | +6.5% |
| 6 | Guangzhou | China | 2,768 | +6.2% |
| 7 | Busan | South Korea | 2,488 | +2.0% |
| 8 | Tianjin | China | 2,403 | +3.2% |
| 9 | Jebel Ali | UAE | 1,560 | +0.4% |
| 10 | Port Klang | Malaysia | 1,514 | +3.4% |
| Unit: 10,000 TEU | ||||
The Big Three Pull Further Ahead
The top three ports not only achieved the highest growth rates but also the largest absolute increases in volume, growing by 3.55 million, 3.54 million, and 4.57 million TEUs, respectively. The Port of Singapore is keeping pace with Shanghai, but Ningbo-Zhoushan is rapidly closing the gap. As the only port in the top ten to achieve double-digit growth for two consecutive years, Ningbo-Zhoushan has narrowed the gap with Singapore to just 790,000 TEUs and is highly likely to surpass it in 2026.
Singapore: More Boxes, Less Weight
In 2025, the Port of Singapore handled 44.66 million TEUs, an increase of 8.6% year-on-year. Notably, while container throughput grew, deadweight tonnage actually declined, indicating that the port transported more empty containers. The proportion of empty container transport in international trade has risen from about 30% in 2019 to around 40%. As the world's largest transshipment hub, Singapore has been particularly affected by this trend.
Qingdao: Sea-Rail Champion
The Port of Qingdao handled 32.89 million TEUs, a 6.5% increase. In 2025, Qingdao added 20 new container shipping routes and 5 new sea-rail intermodal inland port stations. Its sea-rail intermodal container volume reached 2.829 million TEUs, an 11% increase, ranking first in China for the eleventh consecutive year. Leveraging the integrated container operations of the Shandong Port Group, Qingdao continues to expand feeder services with Rizhao, Yantai, and Bohai Bay ports.
Key Insight
Among the top ten, Jebel Ali Port had the lowest growth rate at just 0.1% and may fall out of the global top ten. The current threshold for the world's top ten container ports is approximately 15 million TEUs. Besides the Port of Rotterdam, which may return to the top ten, other promising candidates are located in Southeast Asia — notably Ho Chi Minh City Port (approximately 16 million TEUs after Vietnam's administrative restructuring) and the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (14.03 million TEUs, up 14.5%).
2025 Global Top 10 Cargo Throughput Ports
By cargo throughput, the top ten ports in 2025 are: Ningbo-Zhoushan (1), Shanghai (2), Tangshan (3), Qingdao (4), Guangzhou (5), Rizhao (6), Singapore (7), Suzhou (8), Tianjin (9), and Port Hedland (10). Chinese ports hold an impressive 8 of the 10 spots.
| Rank | Change | Port | Country | 2025 (10K Tons) | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | — | Ningbo-Zhoushan | China | 143,192 | +4.0% |
| 2 | 1↑ | Shanghai | China | 89,185 | +3.5% |
| 3 | 1↓ | Tangshan | China | 88,399 | +2.5% |
| 4 | — | Qingdao | China | 74,130 | +4.1% |
| 5 | — | Guangzhou | China | 66,961 | +1.8% |
| 6 | 1↑ | Rizhao | China | 64,452 | +3.5% |
| 7 | 1↓ | Singapore | Singapore | 61,434 | -1.4% |
| 8 | — | Suzhou (Inland) | China | 61,262 | +2.5% |
| 9 | — | Tianjin | China | 59,485 | +2.7% |
| 10 | — | Port Hedland | Australia | 58,935 | +2.1% |
| Unit: 10,000 Metric Tons | |||||
Domestic Trade: China's Secret Weapon
The dominance of Chinese ports is supported not only by massive foreign trade volumes but also by robust domestic trade. Guangzhou Port, the largest domestic trade port, saw its foreign trade cargo throughput grow by 11%, yet domestic trade still accounts for 71% of its total cargo. Among China's major ports, Qingdao has the highest foreign trade share at 72%.
Ranking Shifts and Narrow Margins
Shanghai surpassed Tangshan, and Rizhao overtook Singapore for the second time since 2023 to become the world's sixth-largest port by cargo throughput. While container port rankings show dramatic gaps (Shanghai leads Singapore by over 10 million TEUs), the differences in cargo throughput are much smaller. From 6th-ranked Rizhao to 10th-ranked Port Hedland, all ports handle around 600 million tons, meaning a shift in a single cargo type could alter the standings.
Iron Ore: The Backbone of Dry Bulk
Global container volume hit a record high in 2025, and dry bulk sea trade continued its modest growth. Iron ore remains the backbone of dry bulk trade, with total seaborne volume reaching 1.71 billion tons (up 1.4%). Australia remains the largest exporter at 940 million tons (up 1.3%), keeping Port Hedland firmly in the top ten as the only non-Asian port on the list.
The Port of Rizhao, one of China's key iron ore transit ports, handles over 160 million tons of iron ore annually. Meanwhile, Singapore's two largest cargo categories — containers and oil products — both declined, making it the only port in the top ten with negative growth.
Suzhou: Riding the New Energy Wave
Suzhou Port's cargo throughput exceeded 600 million tons for the first time, trailing Singapore by just 1.72 million tons. Its breakthrough was driven by exports of solar panels, wind energy equipment, and new energy vehicles — the "new three" exports. In 2025, the port's foreign trade in these categories reached 930,000 TEUs, an 83% year-on-year increase. The Haitong (Taicang) Ro-Ro Terminal, which opened in late 2024, exported over 800,000 vehicles last year.
Future Contender
Yantai Port is poised to enter the top ten, having handled 540 million tons in 2025 (up 8.4%). Its unique advantage is bauxite — one of the fastest-growing dry bulk commodities, with global seaborne volume surging 21% last year. As the world's largest bauxite import port, Yantai handles over 130 million tons of bauxite annually.
Future Outlook
GANGKOUQUAN believes that global container and bulk cargo trade has formed relatively fixed channels. Even amid trade fragmentation, major export and import ports will maintain their dominant positions, making it difficult to disrupt the top rankings in the short term.
However, there is still hope for newcomers. In the container sector, the competition centers on transshipment volumes, with China's coastal ports actively pursuing international transshipment business alongside Southeast Asian regional ports collectively expanding their transshipment operations. In the bulk cargo sector, the focus is on cultivating minor bulk commodities. Driven by the new energy industry, volumes of bauxite, manganese ore, and nickel ore are growing rapidly.