- EU ports handled 395.3 million passengers in 2023, a 5.8% increase from 2022 figures (374.0 million).
- Passenger numbers remain 5.5% below pre-COVID levels of 2019.
- Italy and Greece dominate EU seaborne passenger transport, contributing significantly to the total volume.
- Messina, Italy, continues as the busiest EU passenger port.
The EU ports recorded 395.3 million passengers in 2023, marking a 5.8% increase compared with 2022 (374.0 million). However, this figure remains 5.5% lower than the 2019 pre-pandemic levels. This data, published by Eurostat, highlights trends in maritime passenger transport. A more detailed analysis is available in the Statistics Explained article on maritime passenger statistics.
Greece and Italy lead in seaborne passenger transport
In 2023, 11 countries with more than 10 million passengers accounted for 97% of all seaborne passenger transport in the EU. Italian ports recorded the highest number of passengers at 85.4 million (22% of the EU total), followed by Greek ports with 75.0 million passengers (19%) and Denmark with 41.2 million passengers (10%).
When comparing 2023 with 2022, passenger numbers rose in 16 out of 21 EU countries with available data. Italy saw the largest increase (+6.5 million passengers), followed by Greece (+4.8 million) and France (+3.2 million).
Messina, Italy – the largest EU passenger port in 2023
The top 10 busiest EU passenger ports collectively handled 22% of the EU’s seaborne passenger transport, including six ports in the Mediterranean, three in the Baltic, and one in the North-East Atlantic.
Messina in Italy remained the busiest EU passenger port with 11.3 million passengers, followed by Reggio di Calabria in Italy (11.1 million passengers) and Piraeus in Greece (9.6 million). Compared with 2019, three of the top 10 EU ports recorded increases in passenger numbers: Palma de Mallorca in Spain (+0.4 million), Reggio di Calabria in Italy, and Piraeus in Greece (+0.2 million each).
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Source: European Commission
