North Africa Exchange

North Africa

How Morocco overtook Egypt in recorded container port traffic

Morocco’s recorded container port traffic increased from 2.95 million TEU in 2010 to 11.79 million in 2024. Egypt grew from 6.72 million to 8.58 million over the same period.

Sources checked

North Africa Exchange Editorial Team

2010 and 2024Container port traffic by country

2010

Shared scale · 0 TEU to 11,789,130 TEU

  • Algeria1,198,828 TEU
  • Egypt6,715,321 TEU
  • Morocco2,946,000 TEU
  • Tunisia466,210 TEU

A common scale compares national totals in 2010 and 2024. Throughput is measured in TEU.

Source 1

Container port traffic, 2010 to 2024

Shared scale from zero to 12,000,000.00 TEU. A gap marks a year without an observation.

Algeria

Algeria · TEU2010: 1,198,828.00 · 2011: 1,309,432.00 · 2012: 1,400,495.00 · 2013: 1,508,774.00 · 2014: 1,660,660.00 · 2015: 1,694,426.00 · 2016: 1,831,056.00 · 2017: 1,725,198.00 · 2018: 1,844,422.00 · 2019: 1,793,990.00 · 2020: 1,541,273.00 · 2022: 1,530,969.00 · 2023: 1,545,930.00 · 2024: 1,827,788.00

20102024

1,827,788.00 TEU · 2024

Egypt

Egypt · TEU2010: 6,715,321.00 · 2011: 7,181,079.00 · 2012: 6,424,921.00 · 2013: 6,456,469.00 · 2014: 6,979,807.00 · 2015: 6,490,063.00 · 2016: 5,887,541.00 · 2017: 6,337,413.00 · 2018: 6,701,763.00 · 2019: 7,403,472.00 · 2020: 7,564,385.00 · 2021: 7,226,065.00 · 2022: 7,646,643.00 · 2023: 8,360,875.00 · 2024: 8,581,339.00

20102024

8,581,339.00 TEU · 2024

Morocco

Morocco · TEU2010: 2,946,000.00 · 2011: 3,032,679.00 · 2012: 2,790,692.00 · 2013: 3,526,437.00 · 2014: 4,076,488.00 · 2015: 3,987,251.00 · 2016: 4,106,683.00 · 2017: 4,509,580.00 · 2018: 4,715,747.00 · 2019: 6,068,803.00 · 2020: 7,000,928.00 · 2021: 8,448,850.00 · 2022: 8,840,340.00 · 2023: 9,964,417.00 · 2024: 11,789,130.00

20102024

11,789,130.00 TEU · 2024

Tunisia

Tunisia · TEU2010: 466,210.00 · 2011: 440,121.00 · 2012: 456,950.00 · 2013: 435,718.00 · 2014: 466,412.00 · 2015: 471,248.00 · 2016: 489,670.00 · 2017: 480,619.00 · 2018: 493,366.00 · 2019: 474,222.00 · 2020: 483,178.00 · 2021: 469,658.00 · 2022: 431,420.00 · 2023: 444,714.00 · 2024: 491,955.00

20102024

491,955.00 TEU · 2024

UNCTAD container port throughput via World Bank WDI

The crossover came in 2021

Egypt reported 7.56 million TEU and Morocco 7.00 million in 2020. A year later, Morocco reached 8.45 million and Egypt recorded 7.23 million. Morocco remained ahead through the final observation in 2024. Source 1

The smaller totals moved at different rates

Algeria rose from 1.20 million TEU in 2010 to 1.83 million in 2024. Tunisia moved from 466,210 to 491,955 TEU. The larger national totals can obscure this change on a common scale. Source 1

A container’s length changes the count

A twenty-foot container counts as one TEU and a forty-foot container typically counts as two. The measure provides a common unit for handling volume across ports and counts empty containers along with loaded ones. Source 2

Transshipment connects the same box to two moves

A box unloaded from one vessel and loaded onto another counts twice at a transshipment port. Port throughput therefore includes activity tied to cargo passing through the country. Domestic import and export volumes require separate records. Source 2

Sources

Open the data and source notes