RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index: China drives up container throughput
The most important points in brief:
The container throughput index of the RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) rose to 144.7 points in January after seasonal adjustment, compared with 142.1 points (revised) in the previous month.
The Nordrange Index, which provides indications of economic development in the northern eurozone and Germany, fell sharply from 122.2 points (revised) to 117.0 points in January.
Container throughput in Chinese portsrose significantly – from 161.7 points in the previous month (revised) to 169.4 points.
The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index for February 2026 will be published on March 27, 2026.
“China brought forward many trade transactions due to the New Year celebrations,” explains RWI Chief Economist Torsten Schmidt, commenting on the development of the container throughput index: "In Europe, on the other hand, the positive effects of the port strike on the index are coming to an end. This is clearly reflected in a weaker North Range index value. The economic situation remains tense. The chaos surrounding US tariffs is once again causing uncertainty. Many companies are likely to continue rethinking their supply chains. Despite all these uncertainties, we are seeing the first signs of stabilization in global trade."
About the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index:
The index is based on data on container handling collected continuously within the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor for 90 international ports, which account for around 64 percent of global container throughput. The current flash estimate for the Container Throughput Index is based on data covering 84 percent of the throughput represented in the index. Since international trade is largely conducted by sea, container throughput provides reliable insights into global trade. As many ports report their activities just two weeks after the end of a month, the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index serves as a reliable leading indicator of developments in international trade in manufactured goods and thus of global economic activity. The Container Throughput Index is part of the foreign trade statistics in the Federal Statistical Office’s „Dashboard Deutschland“. It is also used by many international bodies such as UNCTAD and is included in the “Shipping/Port Data” section of the WTO’s Global Trade Data Portal.
Data series for individual ports are available in the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor
Further background information on the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index can be found at www.rwi-essen.de/containerindex.
Your contact persons:
Prof. Dr. Torsten Schmidt, Phone: +49 (201) 8149-287, torsten.schmidt@rwi-essen.de
Dr. Niels Oelgart (Communication), Phone: +49 (201) 8149-213, niels.oelgart@rwi-essen.de
Alexander Bartel (Communication), Phone: +49 (201) 8149-354, alexander.bartel@rwi-essen.de
Download:
Graph showing the container throughput index
Graph showing the container throughput index (Northrange)
Data on the container throughput index and container throughput index (Northrange)