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Cargo and passenger ships: top exporters and importers (2024)

In 2024, world trade in cargo and passenger ships totaled $85.3 billion (35 million tonnes). The top exporters were China (31%), South Korea (30%) and Japan (11%); the top importers were Liberia (20%), the Marshall Islands (9%) and Panama (8%). Compared with 2019, the value rose 17%.

Summary

World trade
$85.3billion
Tonnes
35million tonnes
Price per tonne
$2,424
The largest flows between countries. Width: value; color: estimated transport mode.SeaAirLand

Top exporters

  1. China$26.5 billion · 31%
    see destinations
  2. South Korea$25.2 billion · 29.6%
    see destinations
  3. Japan$9.3 billion · 11%
    see destinations
  4. India$2.7 billion · 3.2%
    see destinations
  5. Germany$2.3 billion · 2.7%
    see destinations
  6. Italy$2.1 billion · 2.4%
    see destinations
  7. Singapore$1.4 billion · 1.7%
    re-exports · see destinations
  8. Belgium$1.2 billion · 1.5%
    re-exports
  9. Finland$1.2 billion · 1.4%
  10. Denmark$1.1 billion · 1.3%
  11. Angola$785 million · 0.92%
  12. Philippines$732 million · 0.86%
  13. Marshall Islands$666 million · 0.78%
  14. Poland$662 million · 0.78%
  15. Netherlands$661 million · 0.77%
    re-exports
  16. Saudi Arabia$640 million · 0.75%
  17. France$612 million · 0.72%
  18. Norway$608 million · 0.71%
  19. Cyprus$584 million · 0.68%
  20. Turkey$570 million · 0.67%

Top importers

  1. Liberia$16.7 billion · 19.6%
    see sources
  2. Marshall Islands$7.8 billion · 9.2%
    see sources
  3. Panama$7.2 billion · 8.5%
    see sources
  4. Singapore$5.6 billion · 6.6%
    re-exports · see sources
  5. Malta$5.1 billion · 6%
    see sources
  6. Germany$4.3 billion · 5.1%
    see sources
  7. France$4.1 billion · 4.8%
    see sources
  8. South Korea$3 billion · 3.5%
    see sources
  9. Norway$3 billion · 3.5%
    see sources
  10. Denmark$2.6 billion · 3.1%
    see sources
  11. Bermuda$1.9 billion · 2.3%
  12. United Kingdom$1.4 billion · 1.6%
  13. Poland$1.4 billion · 1.6%
  14. United Arab Emirates$1.3 billion · 1.5%
  15. India$1.3 billion · 1.5%
  16. Switzerland$1.2 billion · 1.4%
  17. Indonesia$1.1 billion · 1.3%
  18. United States$1.1 billion · 1.3%
  19. Greece$1.1 billion · 1.3%
  20. Cyprus$946 million · 1.1%

Trend

Who sells it

China has been the top exporter since 2023

Value in USD billions. The five largest exporters in 2024.

  • China 26.5
  • South Korea 25.2
  • Japan 9.3
  • India 2.7
  • Germany 2.3

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
Country19952024
China0.3726.5
South Korea5.225.2
Japan11.69.3
India< 0.012.7
Germany1.92.3

Price

Implied price

The price per tonne rose 189% since 1995

Current US dollars per tonne: value over the weight reported by BACI.

  • 2024: $2,424

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearUSD per tonne
1995$839
1996$219
1997$471
1998$1,267
1999$890
2000$854
2001$1,064
2002$1,125
2003$1,208
2004$1,271
2005$1,414
2006$1,545
2007$1,757
2008$2,174
2009$2,973
2010$1,923
2011$1,890
2012$2,023
2013$2,050
2014$1,894
2015$1,916
2016$1,848
2017$2,080
2018$2,105
2019$1,907
2020$1,632
2021$2,016
2022$2,053
2023$2,067
2024$2,424

What it includes

  • 8901 · Cargo and cruise ships

Products in the same chapter

Sources and methodology

Sources and licenses

Methodology

Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), which reconciles what exporters and importers report: countries that stopped reporting (Russia since 2022) appear with their partners’ data. FOB values in current US dollars; tonnes when BACI reports them. The price per tonne is the value of the rows with a weight divided by that weight. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Data up to 2024.

Hong Kong, Singapore, the Netherlands and Belgium re-export goods from other countries: their figures include transit.

See all products