Transport maritime et autre

Data insights

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Maritime transport is the lifeblood of global trade, facilitating the movement of goods across oceans and connecting economies worldwide. As the most cost-effective and efficient mode of transport for large-scale cargo, the maritime industry plays a pivotal role in sustaining global commerce. This collection of thematic insights explores key aspects of maritime transport, providing a detailed look at its vital components.

Connectivity gains were widespread in the second quarter of 2026, with the largest increases observed in Syrian Arab Republic, Saint Pierre and Miquelon and Cabo Verde

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 second quarter 2025 to the second quarter 2026.

 

In the second quarter of 2026, compared to the same period in 2025, connectivity gains continued to outnumber losses, pointing to persistent unevenness across countries. Larger hub economies generally recorded modest changes, while smaller and less connected markets showed sharper percentage fluctuations.

The Syrian Arab Republic (+84.7%), Saint Pierre and Miquelon (+83.3%) and Cabo Verde (+48.0%) recorded the largest increases in liner shipping connectivity in the second quarter of 2026 (year-on-year), while the sharpest declines were observed in Qatar (−66.6%), Bahrain (−55.4%) and Iraq (−54.1%).

Data updated on 23 juin 2026

Global shipping networks continue to rely on strong regional anchors

Top maritime connectivity performer by region (Liner shipping connectivity index, second 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.

  • China remains the top maritime connectivity performer in Asia, with its major ports anchoring global shipping networks. Together with China, eight Asian economies rank among the top 15 globally: the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Viet Nam, Japan, India, Hong Kong SAR (China) and Taiwan Province of China, underscoring Asia’s central role in liner shipping.
  • The United States leads in Northern America, supported by extensive port infrastructure and service coverage.
  • Spain remains Europe’s top performer, reflecting strong intra- and extra-regional connections.
  • Egypt is Africa’s most connected country, with ports positioned on key Mediterranean and Red Sea routes.
  • Panama leads in Latin America and the Caribbean, leveraging its strategic canal location for global trade flows.

Year-on-year, China, Egypt and Panama strengthened their connectivity, while the United States and Spain remained regional leaders despite modest declines.

Data updated on 23 juin 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 June 2026

UN Trade and Development, UNCTADstat and MDS Transmodal.

Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI) measures how well a country is connected to global container shipping networks.

Monthly liner shipping connectivity from 2023 to June 2026 shows the persistent dominance of China and a broadly stable group of other top-ranked economies, with incremental movements rather than sharp shifts over time.

China’s LSCI remained well ahead of other economies, reaching 1,330.7 in June 2026 and further widening the gap with other top performers.

The Republic of Korea and Singapore maintained high connectivity levels. The Republic of Korea rose to 640.4 in June 2026, supported by recent gains, while Singapore remained third despite a slight year-on-year decline.

Among the remaining top economies, Malaysia and the United States retained fourth and fifth place. Both recorded modest month-to-month increases in June 2026, but their index levels remained below June 2025, pointing to short-term improvement alongside softer year-on-year performance.

Data updated on 23 juin 2026

Proximity and reliance on maritime transport creates strong bilateral connections

Top 5 bilateral liner shipping connections in the first quarter of 2026

UN Trade and Development, UNCTADstat.

The five strongest bilateral liner shipping connections in the first quarter of 2026 were between neighbouring economies where maritime transport plays an important role in international trade. These included connections between China and the Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia. Bilateral connections in Asia, especially those involving China, have strengthened over the last twenty years and now surpass many other connections.

In Europe, the connections between the United Kingdom and Belgium and between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, once the world's strongest bilateral connections, remain among the top five.

Data updated on 26 juin 2026

Metadonnées

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: