Estonia: Container port traffic (TEU: 20 foot equivalent units)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Estonia's container port traffic (TEU: 20 foot equivalent units) rose 18.3% on 2023 (from 221,405 to 261,822).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2023), the average change was +1.9% and a typical year strayed about 14.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 27.1% in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 23.2% in 2023. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 4,970 a year. A straight line explains 34% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Estonia had the 89th highest value of the 103 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Estonia in the 2024 ranking

• Yemen, Rep. — 86th of 103: 380,000
• Cameroon — 87th of 103: 350,000
• Bulgaria — 88th of 103: 296,350
• El Salvador — 90th of 103: 255,017
• Haiti — 91st of 103: 201,514
• Gabon — 92nd of 103: 180,878

What this measures

Port container traffic measures the flow of containers from land to sea transport modes, and vice versa, in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a standard-size container. Data refer to coastal shipping as well as international journeys. Transshipment traffic is counted as two lifts at the intermediate port (once to off-load and again as an outbound lift) and includes empty units.

Limitations: Measures of port container traffic, much of it commodities of medium to high value added, give some indication of economic growth in a country. But when traffic is merely transshipment, much of the economic benefit goes to the terminal operator and ancillary services for ships and containers rather than to the country more broadly. In transshipment centers empty containers may account for as much as 40 percent of traffic. Data cover coastal shipping as well as international journeys. Transshipment traffic is counted as two lifts at the intermediate port (once to off-load and again as an outbound lift) and includes empty units.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 14 values

Container port traffic (TEU: 20 foot equivalent units) in nearby economies

• Albania — 184,017 (2023)
• Austria — 285,900 (2017)
• Belgium — 12.4 million (2024)
• Bulgaria — 296,350 (2024)
• Croatia — 532,451 (2024)
• Cyprus — 386,498 (2024)
• Denmark — 935,848 (2024)
• Faroe Islands — 31,214 (2019)
• Finland — 1.32 million (2024)
• France

More infrastructure data for Estonia

• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 2.06 million (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 151.13 (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 227,420 (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 16.72 (2024)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports) — 52.79% (2024)
• Individuals using the Internet (% of population) — 92.24% (2024)
• Patent applications, nonresidents — 3 (2024)
• Patent applications, residents — 27 (2024)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$) — US$3.99 billion (2025)
• ICT service exports (% of service exports, BoP)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Estonia's container port traffic (TEU: 20 foot equivalent units)?

261,822 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2011?

It is up 32.42% from 197,717 in 2011 (2.18% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 288,208 in 2022 and the lowest 197,717 in 2011.

How does Estonia rank?

89th highest of 103 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in container port traffic (TEU: 20 foot equivalent units) unusual for Estonia?

In 2024, Estonia's container port traffic (TEU: 20 foot equivalent units) rose 18.3% on 2023 (from 221,405 to 261,822). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2023), the average change was +1.9% and a typical year strayed about 14.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator IS.SHP.GOOD.TU, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), uri: http://unctad.org/en/Pages/statistics.aspx Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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