Shanghai Clears 55 Million TEU As The World Top Container Ports 2026 Ranking Is Published
Following the digital release of the WTCP ranking on July 24, 2026, CM has published the 2026 World Top Container Ports (WTCP) ranking and annual league table of the world’s 125 largest container ports by TEU throughput in print alongside the annual WTCP wall map. The Port of Shanghai retains first place with a record ...
The 2026 World Top Container Ports (WTCP) ranking, released on July 24, 2026, confirms Port of Shanghai as the world's leading container port, handling a record 55.1 million TEU in 2025, representing a 6.9% increase year-on-year. This marks Shanghai as the first port to surpass the 55 million TEU threshold. Singapore follows in second place with a throughput of 44.7 million TEU, marking an 8.6% year-on-year growth.
Ningbo-Zhoushan rounds out the top three, recording the highest percentage growth among the top ten ports at 11.6%, achieving a total throughput of 43.9 million TEU. The top ten remains unchanged from the previous year's ranking, featuring Shenzhen, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Busan, Tianjin, Jebel Ali, and Port Klang. However, the stability in rankings conceals varying growth rates among these ports.
While five of the six top-ten ports in China experienced growth rates between 6% and 12%, Busan, Tianjin, and Jebel Ali saw comparatively lower growth rates of 2%, 3.2%, and 0.1%, respectively. According to Lucas Wild, a Research Analyst at Container Management and WTCP, "The table appears static with the same ten ports in the same sequence as last year, yet this stability is misleading.
Shanghai's 55 million TEU throughput and Ningbo-Zhoushan's remarkable 11.6% growth signify where the real momentum lies in the global container port system. Conversely, Busan, Tianjin, and Jebel Ali's subdued growth rates underscore the uneven demand distribution across the industry." The complete ranking is detailed in the WTCP 2026 edition of Container Management magazine and available on the WTCP digital map platform at wtcp.digital/map.
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