Spain positions itself as the member state of the European Union with the best maritime liner connectivity, according to data from the Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI) for the fourth quarter of 2025, published on January 28 by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The country achieves a score of 420.11 points, allowing it to maintain eighth place in the global ranking and position itself as the leader of the European continent in this indicator.
The LSCI index measures the integration of countries into global container shipping transport networks, considering factors such as the number of shipping companies operating in their ports, the size of vessels calling at them, the number of regular services, and connectivity with other ports around the world. In this context, the Spanish score reflects the capacity of its main port infrastructures to connect with the large routes of international trade.
China tops the world ranking with a score of 1,312.61 points, a figure that represents more than double that of the second-ranked country, South Korea, which reaches 631.30 points. Singapore completes the podium with 625.94 points, followed by Malaysia (523.33), the United States (514.97), Vietnam (463.83), and Japan (424.71). Spain, with its 420.11 points, is positioned immediately after Japan, being the only member of the European Union present in the global top 10.
In the quarterly comparison, Spain records a variation of -0.2%, equivalent to a loss of 1.02 points compared to the previous quarter. In year-on-year terms, the decrease is 1.2%, which represents 5.11 points less than in the same period of the previous year. These variations, although negative, are moderate compared to the fluctuations experienced by other countries in the ranking.
In the European context, Spain outperforms the Netherlands, the second continental qualifier with 378.87 points and eleventh globally. Belgium occupies third place in Europe and twelfth globally with 343.81 points, while Germany is positioned fourth in Europe and sixteenth in the world with 319.12 points. Italy, fifth on the continent and eighteenth globally, reaches 291.46 points, and France rounds out the group of the six main European maritime economies with 261.03 points, occupying twenty-second place in the global ranking.
Spain's advantage over other direct European countries is considerable: it outperforms the Netherlands by 41.24 points, Belgium by 76.30 points, and Germany by 100.99 points. This difference is based on the strategic geographic position of the Iberian country, located at the crossroads of major maritime routes connecting Europe with Asia, Africa, and America.
Valencia, Algeciras, and Barcelona maintain Spanish leadership.
Spanish leadership in Europe is supported by the performance of its three main ports, as reported by El Estrecho Digital in December, according to the Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (PLSCI), the methodology developed by UNCTAD to measure the connectivity of individual port facilities. Valencia tops the national ranking with an index of 593.14 points, a figure almost identical to that recorded twelve months ago, with an annual variation of just 2.34 points (+0.4%). This stability allows the Levantine port to consolidate its position as the best-connected dock in Spain and the fourth in Europe. However, Valencia experiences a setback of three positions in the global ranking, losing ground to the Vietnamese ports of Haiphong and Ho Chi Minh, as well as the Chinese port of Dalian.
Algeciras closes the year 2025 as the fifth best-connected port in Europe and second in Spain, with an index of 511.86 points. The Strait of Gibraltar dock registers a decrease of 6.62 points compared to the previous quarter (-1.3%) and 39.93 points in year-on-year terms (-7.2%). On a global scale, the Cadiz port leaves the top 30 after dropping seven positions to stand at thirty-seventh in a ranking that includes 932 port facilities worldwide.
Barcelona, the third Spanish dock, has an index of 482.93 points. The Catalan port records a quarterly increase of 9.38 points (+2.0%), but has accumulated a year-on-year decrease of 9.89 points (-2.0%). This mixed evolution has cost it the seventh European position, which it now occupies after yielding a place to Bremerhaven, a German port that has experienced a year-on-year growth of 12.5% to reach 507.01 points.
The evolution of the connectivity index in the Strait of Gibraltar area reflects divergent trajectories between the two main hubs in the area. While Algeciras accumulates both quarterly and year-on-year decreases, Tangier Med presents an expanding dynamic with an index of 571.44 points, which represents an increase of more than 14 points compared to the previous quarter and 27.91 points in year-on-year terms. The difference between both docks currently stands at 59.58 points in favor of the Moroccan port, a situation that contrasts with that of twelve months ago, when Algeciras surpassed Tangier Med in connectivity.
In the European port ranking, Rotterdam tops the list with 950.44 points, followed by Antwerp-Bruges (898.39) and Hamburg (698.39). On a global scale, Asian ports occupy the top nine positions, with Shanghai leading with 2,416.49 points, followed by Ningbo (2,056.96), Singapore (1,876.95), Busan (1,648.49), and Qingdao (1,426.42). Rotterdam closes the global top 10 as the only European representative.
Among Spanish ports located outside the three major peninsular hubs, Las Palmas ranks fourth nationally with 292.35 points, showing the highest year-on-year growth (+28.7%). Malaga presents the most positive year-on-year evolution in percentage terms (+36.7%) to reach 141.05 points, allowing the Andalusian port to climb to fifth place nationally.