RWI/ISL Container Throughput Input Index
Global trade comes to a standstill at the end of the year
31.01.2024
Acccording to the latest flash estimate, the Container Throughput Index of the RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) fell to a seasonally adjusted 131.2 points in December compared to 133.6 points (revised) in the previous month. A decline was observed in all regions of the world.
The essence in a nutshell:
- The seasonally adjusted Container Throughput Index of the RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) fell to 131.2 points in December compared to 133.6 points (revised) in the previous month.
- The North Range Index, which provides an indication of economic development in the northern eurozone and Germany, fell from 114.0 (revised) to 113.0 points in December compared to the previous month.
- In the Chinese ports, container throughput fell from 143.8 points (revised) in the previous month to 141.4 points.
- The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index for January 2025 will be published on 27 February 2025.
Torsten Schmidt
About the RWI/ISL- Container Throughput Index
The index takes into account container throughput data continuously collected on an ongoing basis by the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor at 92 international ports, representing approximately 64% of global container throughput. The present flash estimate for the Container Throughput Index relies on data representing approximately 68% of the throughput represented in the index. Since international trade is mainly handles by sea, the development of container throughput provides reliable insights into global merchandise trade. As many ports already report their data a fortnight after the end of each month, the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index is a reliable early indicator of the international merchandise trade and hence also of global economic activity.
The Container Troughput Index is used by many international bodies such as UNCTAD and is included in the Shipping/Port Data section of the WTO’s Global Trade Data Portal.
Data series for individual ports are available in the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor.
