The Port of Shanghai is the busiest container port in the world, handling more than 51 million containers a year. Chinese ports fill six of the top ten. Ports are ranked by container throughput, measured in TEUs — standard twenty-foot container units.
The largest ports in the world (2026)
Ranked by container throughput, Asia dominates global shipping. Shanghai is the busiest port on Earth and the first ever to handle more than 50 million containers in a year. The metric used is the TEU — twenty-foot equivalent unit — the size of a standard shipping container. Figures are for 2024, the latest full year.
| Rank | Port | Country | Million TEU (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shanghai | China | 51.5 |
| 2 | Singapore | Singapore | 41.1 |
| 3 | Ningbo-Zhoushan | China | 39.3 |
| 4 | Shenzhen | China | 33.4 |
| 5 | Qingdao | China | 30.9 |
| 6 | Guangzhou | China | 26.1 |
| 7 | Busan | South Korea | 24.4 |
| 8 | Tianjin | China | 23.3 |
| 9 | Jebel Ali (Dubai) | UAE | 15.5 |
| 10 | Port Klang | Malaysia | 14.7 |
Source: World Shipping Council / port authorities (2024). Rotterdam, at ~13.8M TEU, is the largest European port, just outside the top ten.
Why China dominates global shipping
Six of the world’s ten busiest ports are Chinese — a direct reflection of the country’s role as the world’s factory and largest exporter. Shanghai alone handles more containers than all the top US ports combined. Globally, container ports moved about 920 million TEUs in 2024 (UNCTAD). Outside Asia, Rotterdam remains Europe’s gateway, the busiest port on the continent.
Key takeaways
- Shanghai is the world’s busiest port, handling more than 51 million TEU a year.
- Six of the top ten container ports are in China.
- Ports are ranked by TEU — standard twenty-foot container units.
- Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe, just outside the global top ten.
Frequently asked questions
What is the busiest port in the world?
The Port of Shanghai in China, which handled about 51.5 million containers (TEU) in 2024 — the first port ever to exceed 50 million. It has been the world’s busiest container port for over a decade.
What is a TEU?
A TEU, or twenty-foot equivalent unit, is the standard measure of container traffic, based on the size of a twenty-foot-long shipping container. A large modern container ship can carry more than 20,000 TEU.
What is the largest port in Europe?
Rotterdam in the Netherlands, which handled about 13.8 million TEU in 2024. It is the busiest port in Europe and the main gateway for goods entering the continent, though it sits just outside the global top ten.
Sources
- World Shipping Council, Top 50 container ports — retrieved 2026-07-05 — worldshipping.org
- UNCTAD, Review of Maritime Transport 2024 — retrieved 2026-07-05 — unctad.org
- Port of Rotterdam, 2024 throughput — retrieved 2026-07-05 — portofrotterdam.com
Last updated: July 4, 2026
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