Shanghai Becomes First Port to Handle Over 55 Million TEU as WTCP 2026 Ranking Is Published
Key Takeaways
- •Shanghai ranked first globally with a record 55.1 million TEU in 2025, up 6.9% year-on-year and the first port to surpass 55 million TEU.
- •Singapore placed second at 44.7 million TEU (+8.6%) and Ningbo-Zhoushan third at 43.9 million TEU, with the fastest top-ten growth of 11.6%.
- •The top ten ranking is unchanged from the previous year, and six of the ten ports are on the Chinese mainland.
- •Growth rates diverged widely, with five of China's six top-ten ports growing 6-12%, while Busan (+2.0%), Tianjin (+3.2%) and Jebel Ali (+0.1%) trailed.
- •The top three ports together handled more than 143 million TEU in 2025, highlighting the concentration of container traffic in East and Southeast Asia.
The 2026 World Top Container Ports (WTCP) ranking and annual league table of the world's 125 largest container ports by TEU throughput has been published in print by Container Management (CM), following the digital release of the ranking on July 24, 2026. The print edition appears alongside the annual WTCP wall map. TEU, or twenty-foot equivalent unit, is the standard industry measure for container volumes, with one TEU corresponding to a standard twenty-foot container; annual port throughput figures are among the most widely watched indicators of global trade flows.
The Port of Shanghai retains first place, handling a record 55.1 million TEU in 2025 — up 6.9 per cent year-on-year and the first port ever to clear the 55 million TEU mark. Singapore holds second place at 44.7 million TEU (+8.6%), while Ningbo-Zhoushan closes the gap in third at 43.9 million TEU, posting the fastest growth among the top ten (+11.6%). Together, the top three ports alone handled more than 143 million TEU in 2025, underscoring the concentration of container traffic in East and Southeast Asian hubs.
The top ten is identical to last year's edition, with Shenzhen, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Busan, Tianjin, Jebel Ali and Port Klang completing the table. Six of the ten are Chinese mainland ports, with Singapore, South Korea's Busan, the UAE's Jebel Ali and Malaysia's Port Klang making up the remainder. However, that stability masks diverging trajectories: five of China's six top-ten ports grew between 6 and 12 per cent, while Busan (+2.0%), Tianjin (+3.2%) and Jebel Ali (+0.1%) lagged the field.
"The table looks static — the same ten ports, in the same order, as last year — but that stability is deceptive. Shanghai clearing 55 million TEU and Ningbo-Zhoushan growing nearly twelve per cent in a year show where the momentum in the system sits, while subdued years at Busan and Jebel Ali show how unevenly demand has settled. The divergence, not the order of the list, is the story of this edition," said Lucas Wild, Research Analyst, Container Management / WTCP.
The full ranking appears in the WTCP 2026 edition of Container Management and on the printed WTCP map. The interactive map and year-round ranking are available at wtcp.digital/map.
The WTCP 2026 Top 10 (2025 throughput):
- Shanghai — 55.1m TEU (+6.9%)
- Singapore — 44.7m TEU (+8.6%)
- Ningbo-Zhoushan — 43.9m TEU (+11.6%)
- Shenzhen — 35.4m TEU (+6.0%)
- Qingdao — 32.9m TEU (+6.6%)
- Guangzhou — 27.7m TEU (+6.2%)
- Busan — 24.9m TEU (+2.0%)
- Tianjin — 24.0m TEU (+3.2%)
- Jebel Ali — 15.6m TEU (+0.1%)
- Port Klang — 15.1m TEU (+3.4%)
Source: Container Management
