The "Global Port Development Report 2025," released by the Shanghai International Shipping Research Center on May 27, indicates that global cargo throughput at major ports grew by approximately 2.8% year-on-year in 2025, a deceleration of 0.3 percentage points from the previous year, signaling a clear trend of moderating growth. Asian ports, due to their substantial scale, remained the primary driver of global growth, with an annual increase of 3.4%.
The report analyzes that global major port cargo throughput growth in 2025 exhibited characteristics of "overall stabilization with internal divergence." In terms of growth rate distribution, most ports' growth clustered within the -5% to 5% range, showing significant regional variation. Asian ports demonstrated overall robust performance, forming the most stable segment of the global port system, with Chinese ports showing distinct advantages and most major ports maintaining positive growth. American ports displayed pronounced divergence: active resource exports drove throughput increases at ports like Buenaventura and Valparaiso, achieving growth exceeding 10%; however, changes in trade policies and demand fluctuations impacted port operations, leaving a considerable number of ports in negative growth territory. European ports generally showed low-level fluctuations; although there were signs of recovery, the weak demand situation has not fundamentally reversed. Australian ports were generally weak, but supported by resource-driven factors and recovering international demand, overall port throughput achieved a slight rebound.
In 2025, global container port throughput achieved growth supported by the expansion of transshipment business, increasing by 5.5% year-on-year. Asia continued to lead globally, with the Chinese mainland handling 350 million TEUs for the year, a year-on-year increase of 6.8%. Within this, the Port of Shanghai exceeded 55 million TEUs, firmly holding the top global position; the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan exceeded 40 million TEUs, with a growth rate as high as 11.6%. Influenced by warming Asia-Europe trade and a surge in transshipment demand from "twin-star" shipping routes, European port growth reached 6.3%. Among them, the Port of Hamburg benefited from trade in Chinese machine tools and metal products, achieving 7.3% growth. North American ports, affected by tariff policy disruptions, saw growth slow to 2.5%.
A previous forecast released by the World Trade Organization indicated that global goods trade growth is expected to slow to 1.9% in 2026, a significant decline from 4.6% in 2025, with a potential slight rebound to 2.6% in 2027. In its outlook for the 2026 port industry, the report analyzes that the stronger-than-expected trade growth in 2025 largely stemmed from a surge in AI infrastructure-related trade and pre-emptive inventory building ahead of tariff increases. These two supporting factors are expected to weaken or disappear in 2026. Against this backdrop, although global port throughput development is still projected to be on an upward trajectory in 2026, its growth rate is expected to slow noticeably compared to previous years.
Regarding the situation for Chinese ports in 2026, the report states that China's port industry will comprehensively embark on a new journey of high-quality development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, influenced by both profound adjustments in the global economic and trade landscape and the long-term positive fundamentals of the domestic economy. Domestic ports will continue to adhere to a "toward innovation and excellence" development model. Through innovation-driven strategies and structural optimization, they will vigorously develop new quality productive forces, continuing the current industry development focus driven by value and emphasizing resilience, thereby elevating port production scale to a new level.
The Shanghai International Shipping Research Center predicts in the report that if the international trade market can sustain a pattern of slight growth, it will effectively boost the domestic port market. It is estimated that under the overall pattern of a "high base, low growth rate," China's port cargo and container throughput in 2026 will still maintain steady growth rates of approximately 3% and 5%, respectively.
The report analyzes that facing a volatile "new normal" in 2026, the core task for Chinese ports will shift from pursuing scale efficiency to building new competitive advantages centered on resilience. Development will accelerate around three main axes: first, deepening the digitalization and intelligentization of the entire supply chain; second, realizing value transformation through green and low-carbon transitions; and third, continuously deepening integration and network-based competition.
A relevant official from the strategic development department of a major domestic port stated that currently, uncertainty in global economic and trade growth is rising, trade protectionism is resurging, and geopolitical risks are intensifying. The global industrial and supply chains are accelerating their restructuring toward localization, regionalization, diversification, and shortening. Competition among hub ports is becoming fiercer, and the focus of competition is shifting toward a comprehensive logistics service system driven by digitalization, greening, and resilience. "The uncertainty of global supply chains requires ports to possess extremely high throughput elasticity and risk resistance capabilities. We will accelerate the pace of digitalization, tap into data value, and use technological dividends to hedge against market volatility."
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