RWI/ISL Container Throughput Input Index
Effects of US tariff policy not yet visible
31.03.2025
According 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) rose to a seasonally adjusted 135.1 points in February compared to 134.0 points (revised) in the previous month. The rise is due to an increase in container throughput in many regions of the world. In European ports, however, container throughput fell slightly.
The essence in a nutshell:
- The Container Throughput Index of the RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) rose to a seasonally adjusted 135.1 points in February compared to 134.0 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 114.9 points (revised) to 113.4 points in February compared to the previous month.
- In the Chinese ports, container throughput rose to 145.9 points compared to 142.6 points (revised) in the previous month.
- The RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index for March 2025 will be published on 25. April 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 90 international ports, representing approximately 64% of global container throughput. The present flash estimate for the Container Throughput Index relies on data representing approximately 73% 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.
