RWI/ISL- Container Throughput Index
Container Handling Index: War in Iran weakens global trade
30.04.2026
In March 2026, global container traffic dropped significantly. Geopolitical tensions and rising costs are noticeably slowing world trade. After a strong increase in February, the previous month’s gains were more than offset. Overall, the growth dynamics of global trade have weakened since the beginning of the year.
The essence in a nutshell:
- The container throughput index compiled by the RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute for Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) decreased by 4.5 points in March, from 147.1 (revised) to 142.6 index points.
- The North Range Index, which provides insights into economic development in the northern Euro area and Germany, declined slightly from 119.4 points (revised) to 118.6 points.
- Container throughput in Chinese ports also decreased, falling from a revised 165.9 points in February to 161.8 points in March.
- The RWI/ISL Container Handling Index for April 2026 will be published on 29. May 2026
Torsten Schmidt
The decline in March shows how vulnerable global trade currently is to geopolitical shocks. A war with Iran and the resulting higher costs are putting increasing pressure on global supply chains.
This is bad news for the German economy. The weakness of the northern European ports suggests that the export slump is more likely to worsen than to lessen.
About the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index:
The index includes data on container throughput collected on an ongoing basis by the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor from 90 international ports, which account for around 64 percent of global container throughput. The current flash estimate for the container throughput index is based on data from 89 percent of the throughput represented in the index. Since international trade is mainly conducted by sea, container transshipments allow reliable conclusions to be drawn about world trade. Because many ports report on their activities just two weeks after the end of a month, the RWI/ISL Container Transshipment Index is a reliable early indicator of developments in international trade in manufactured goods and thus also of global economic activity.
The Container Throughput Index is part of the foreign trade statistics in the Federal Statistical Office’s „Dashboard Deutschland“
Data series for individual ports are available in the ISL Monthly Container Port Monitor
Further background information on the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index can be found at www.rwi-essen.de/containerindex
