The essence in a nutshell:

• The Container Throughput Index of RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute for Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) recorded a seasonally adjusted slight increase in September from 125.9 (revised) to 126.8 points.

• The container throughput in Chinese ports, which had recorded a significant decrease in the previous months, has recently been showing growth again. The index for Chinese ports increased from 135.1 to 136.4 points.

• The North Range Index, an indicator for economic development in northern Europe and Germany, recorded a slight decrease in September from 115.5 (revised) to 115.0 points.

• The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index for the month of October 2022 will be published on November 30th, 2022.

Commenting on the development of the Container Throughput Index, RWI’s head of economic research Torsten Schmidt says: “The worldwide container throughput has increased slightly in the month of September. Overall, it has been showing a stable upwards trend. In Europe, however, the container throughput has recorded a rather weak growth since summer. The economic downturn, caused by rising energy prices, seems to have a more significant impact on container throughput here than in other parts of the world.”

About the RWI/ISL- Container Throughput Index:

The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index consists of container throughput data from 94 international ports gathered continuously by the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor as part of its market observation. These ports account for approximately 62 percent of global container traffic. The current flash estimate for the Container Throughput Index is based on data from about 55 percent of the total index displayed here. As international trade is handled primarily by sea, reliable conclusions can be drawn here from container port throughput data. Furthermore, the index is a reliable early indicator of international trade of manufactured goods as well as global economic activity as most ports already report their activities within two weeks after the end of each month. The container throughput index is part of the statistics on foreign trade in the „Dashboard Deutschland“ of the Federal Statistical Office.

Data series for individual ports are available in the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor.

Data Container Throughput Index and North Range Index

Graphic Container Throughput Index in printable resolution

RWI/ISL-Containerumschlag-Index: Nordrange

Graphic in printable resolution

Data for special evaluation excluding chinese ports