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 November from 120.9 (revised) to 122.9 points.
• The increase was almost exclusively caused by Chinese ports, where container throughput increased significantly from 129.1 (revised) to 134.3 points.
• The North Range Index, an indicator for economic development in northern Europe and Germany, recorded a decrease in November from 109.9 (revised) to 107.8 points.
• The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index for the month of December 2022 will be published on January 27th, 2023.

Commenting on the development of the Container Throughput Index, RWI’s head of economic research Torsten, Schmidt says: “The slight recovery of container throughput, following the sharp decline in the previous month, cannot hide the fact that the weak phase in global trade continues. European ports are particularly affected by this.”

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 48 percent of global container traffic. The current flash estimate for the Container Throughput Index is based on data from about 88 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