China vs World: Container port traffic

China
299.70 million TEU: 20 foot equivalent units
in 2024
World
913.28 million TEU: 20 foot equivalent units
in 2024
China rank
1st
World rank
1st

Container port traffic over time

  • China
  • World
200.0M400.0M600.0M800.0M1.0B201020172024

How they compare

World currently reports 913.28 million TEU: 20 foot equivalent units against 299.70 million TEU: 20 foot equivalent units in China, a difference of 613.58 million TEU: 20 foot equivalent units.

That makes World's figure about 3.0 times China's.

Across all 15 years both countries report, World has been ahead every year.

China ranks 1st and World ranks 1st of 167 countries.

World has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China World Difference Ahead
2010s 190.14 million TEU: 20 foot equivalent units 680.26 million TEU: 20 foot equivalent units 490.12 million TEU: 20 foot equivalent units World
2020s 268.94 million TEU: 20 foot equivalent units 850.59 million TEU: 20 foot equivalent units 581.65 million TEU: 20 foot equivalent units World

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher container port traffic, China or World?
World, at 913.28 million TEU: 20 foot equivalent units against 299.70 million TEU: 20 foot equivalent units in China as of 2024.
What is the difference in container port traffic between China and World?
613.58 million TEU: 20 foot equivalent units, with World ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and World?
15 years are reported by both, from 2010 to 2024.
How do China and World rank globally for container port traffic?
China ranks 1st and World ranks 1st of 167 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), published as Container port traffic (TEU: 20 foot equivalent units). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Container port traffic (TEU: 20 foot equivalent units)
Unit
TEU: 20 foot equivalent units
Source
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
208 places, 2,791 data points, 2005–2024
Last refreshed

Port container traffic measures the flow of containers from land to sea transport modes, and vice versa, in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a standard-size container. Data refer to coastal shipping as well as international journeys. Transshipment traffic is counted as two lifts at the intermediate port (once to off-load and again as an outbound lift) and includes empty units.