Africa continues to lag behind other regions in global container handling capacity, with only four ports making it into Lloyd’s List Top 100 Container Ports for 2025.
The inclusion of just four African container ports highlights the continent’s ongoing challenges in expanding maritime capacity despite rising trade volumes. The results underscore persistent constraints in infrastructure and logistics, although notable improvements have been observed in some terminals.
Lloyd’s List’s latest assessment shows a strong global container traffic rebound. Worldwide throughput reached 743.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2024, up 8.1% from the previous year, signaling recovery after several years of low volumes due to pandemic-related disruptions and geopolitical tensions.
Asia continues to dominate global trade flows, with Chinese ports alone handling over 40% of total container throughput. North America and Europe have also gained ground, supported by evolving supply chains, stronger consumer spending, and strategic stock replenishment.
Africa’s Top Performing Ports on the Global Stage
Below are the only African terminals listed among the world’s 100 top container ports in 2025:
| Port & Country | Throughput (TEUs) |
|---|---|
| Tanger Med, Morocco | 10,241,392 |
| Port Said, Egypt | 3,905,266 |
| Alexandria, Egypt | 2,211,851 |
| Lomé, Togo | 2,060,435 |
