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Maritime and other transport
Data insights
International freight transport is the lifeblood of global trade, facilitating the movement of goods over land and across oceans and connecting economies worldwide. As the most cost-effective and efficient mode of transport for large-scale cargo, maritime transport plays a pivotal role in sustaining global commerce. This collection of thematic insights explores key aspects of international freight transport, providing a detailed look at its vital components.
Merchant fleet
Freight volumes by sea
Maritime connectivity
Global transport of merchandise trade
World merchant fleet
Containerized port traffic
World seaborne trade
Liner shipping connectivity
Port connectivity
Transport costs of the delivery of merchandise trade
Connectivity gains were widespread in the first quarter of 2026, with the largest increases observed in Bahrain, Saint Pierre and Miquelon and the Syrian Arab Republic
Annual change in liner shipping connectivity, percentage
UN Trade and Development,
UNCTADstat
and MDS Transmodal.
Change year-on-year in the Liner Shipping Connectivity Index from the first quarter 2025 to the first quarter 2026.
See
metadata
In the first quarter of 2026, compared to the same period in 2025, connectivity gains were more widespread than losses, highlighting
continued unevenness across countries
. Larger hub economies tended to show relatively stable changes, while smaller and less connected markets experienced more pronounced percentage fluctuations.
Bahrain (+135.9%), Saint Pierre and Miquelon (+83.3%) and the Syrian Arab Republic (+69.7%)
recorded the largest increases in liner shipping connectivity in the first quarter of 2026 (year-on-year), while the sharpest declines were observed
in Gibraltar (−37.7%), Wallis and Futuna Islands (−30.3%)
and
Guinea (−27.6%).
Data updated on
23 Mar 2026
Global shipping networks rely on strong regional anchors
Top maritime connectivity performer by region (Liner shipping connectivity index, first quarter 2026)
UN Trade and Development,
UNCTADstat
and MDS Transmodal.
The reference is the average economy in the first quarter of 2023. No economy has this value; 100 is the value for a theoretical economy having the average value on each index component. A value 130 for the Liner Shipping Connectivity Index thus means 30% above the (theoretical) average economy in the first quarter of 2023.
Liner shipping connectivity index (LSCI) measures how well a country is connected to global container shipping networks.
See
metadata
China
remains the top maritime connectivity performer in Asia, with its major ports anchoring global shipping networks.
Eight Asian economies
feature among the
top 15 globally—Republic of Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Viet Nam, Japan, India
Hong Kong SAR (China) and Taiwan (Province of China)
—highlighting the region’s central role in global liner shipping networks.
The United States
leads in Northern America, supported by its broad port infrastructure and service coverage.
Spain
tops the European rankings, benefiting from strong connections within the region and beyond.
Egypt
is Africa’s most connected country, with key ports on the Mediterranean and Red Sea routes.
Panama
leads in Latin America and the Caribbean, leveraging its strategic canal position for global trade flows.
Data updated on
23 Mar 2026
Proximity and reliance on maritime transport creates strong bilateral connections
Top 5 bilateral liner shipping connections in the first quarter of 2025
UN Trade and Development,
UNCTADstat
See
metadata
The five strongest bilateral liner shipping connections in the first quarter of 2025 were connections between neighbouring countries where maritime transport plays an important part in international trade. These include connections between
China and the Republic of Korea
as well between
China and Singapore
. The connection between
Singapore and Malaysia
is also among the top 5. These
connections in Asia
, especially the connections with China,
have strengthened and surpassed many other connections in the last twenty year
In Europe
, the connections between
United Kingdom and Belgium
and between the
United Kingdom and Netherlands
, once the strongest bilateral connections remain in the top 5.
Data updated on
16 Jan 2026
Monthly liner shipping connectivity index shows large differences among top economies
Monthly evolution of the top 5 economies with the highest liner shipping connectivity index (LSCI) in March 2026
UN Trade and Development,
UNCTADstat
Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI) measures how well a country is connected to global container shipping networks.
See
metadata
Monthly liner shipping connectivity during the period from 2023 to early 2026 shows the
persistent dominance of China
and the relative stability among the other top-ranked economies, with incremental gains rather than sharp shifts over time.
China’s LSCI increased steadily throughout 2025 and into early 2026
, reaching new highs and further widening the gap with other top performers.
The
Republic of Korea and Singapore
maintained
high and relatively stable connectivity levels
. The Republic of Korea experienced moderate month-to-month fluctuations but remained broadly stable over the period.
Singapore showed a sustained recovery from mid-2024 onwards, with connectivity continuing to strengthen into 2026.
Among the remaining economies,
Malaysia and the United States recorded moderate but upward trends
. Malaysia’s connectivity improved steadily from mid-2024 and continued to rise into early 2026. The United States also posted gradual increases over the period, although remaining at a lower level than the leading Asian economies.
Data updated on
23 Mar 2026
Metadata
The liner shipping connectivity index (LSCI) indicates an economy’s position within global liner shipping networks. It is calculated from the number of ship calls, the container handling capacity of ports, the number of services and companies, the size of the largest ship, and the number of countries connected through direct liner shipping services. Full metadata are available in our Data Centre for
LSCI
, as well as
this blogpost
detailing the index’s update.
UNCTAD also publishes the Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (PLSCI) which measures connectivity and reflects the level of integration into the global liner shipping network on a port-by-port basis. The data and metadata can be accessed in our
Data Centre
For in-depth analysis on port performance and related topics see the
Review of Maritime Transport
Full metadata
are available in our Data Centre for
Liner shipping connectivity index, quarterly
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