China
Visualizing Global Shipping Container Traffic
Visualizing Global Shipping Container Traffic
Globalization owes a lot to the humble shipping container.
In the distant past, loading a ship was a complicated affair involving pallets, crates, and winches. This process was labor-intensive and expensive, meaning most goods were simply not worth shipping overseas.
In the 1970s, the standardized shipping container solved this problem on a wide scale and turned the world economy on its head. This standardization drove the cost of shipping down as the efficiency of ports skyrocketed. Modern ports can now move upwards of 70 containers per crane per hour.
It doesnโt matter anymore where you produce something now, because transport costs arenโt important.
โ Rainer Horn, Hapag-Lloyd
Made in China
With the barrier of shipping costs effectively removed, production began to migrate to countries with cheaper production costs.
China is at the center of this new paradigm: nearly one-third of all global containers move through Chinese ports, and seven of the top 10 ports in the world are all located in China.
Countries Moving the Most Units
Here are the 50 countries with the most 20-foot containers passing through their ports:
Rank | Country | 20-Foot Container Count (2017) |
---|---|---|
1 | China (inc. H.K.) | 234,489,920 |
2 | United States | 51,425,464 |
3 | Singapore | 33,600,000 |
4 | South Korea | 27,427,000 |
5 | Malaysia | 24,719,000 |
6 | Japan | 21,904,444 |
7 | U.A.E. | 21,280,900 |
8 | Germany | 19,447,600 |
9 | Spain | 17,065,000 |
10 | Netherlands | 13,951,000 |
11 | Indonesia | 13,859,500 |
12 | India | 13,259,000 |
13 | Vietnam | 12,284,395 |
14 | Belgium | 11,857,009 |
15 | Thailand | 10,732,000 |
16 | Italy | 10,698,030 |
17 | United Kingdom | 10,530,328 |
18 | Brazil | 10,049,282 |
19 | Turkey | 9,927,385 |
20 | Saudi Arabia | 8,404,000 |
21 | Philippines | 8,196,961 |
22 | Australia | 7,693,643 |
23 | Egypt | 7,430,000 |
24 | Panama | 6,900,000 |
25 | France | 6,714,551 |
26 | Mexico | 6,305,000 |
27 | Canada | 6,298,590 |
28 | Sri Lanka | 6,000,000 |
29 | Oman | 4,784,712 |
30 | South Africa | 4,634,900 |
31 | Morocco | 4,570,000 |
32 | Russia | 4,515,000 |
33 | Greece | 4,461,000 |
34 | Chile | 4,189,669 |
35 | Colombia | 3,444,503 |
36 | New Zealand | 3,227,100 |
37 | Portugal | 3,220,100 |
38 | Malta | 3,203,000 |
39 | Iran | 3,091,000 |
40 | Pakistan | 2,985,600 |
41 | Israel | 2,865,028 |
42 | Bangladesh | 2,587,000 |
43 | Poland | 2,459,900 |
44 | Peru | 2,368,989 |
45 | Ecuador | 1,944,135 |
46 | Finland | 1,920,800 |
47 | Argentina | 1,750,102 |
48 | Jamaica | 1,689,000 |
49 | Nigeria | 1,656,000 |
50 | Sweden | 1,593,450 |
Asian countries dominate shipping container traffic, taking up four of the top five spots. Singapore, with a population of just 5.4 million, moved nearly 34 million 20-foot containers in 2017. That’s more than Italy, France, Russia, Sweden, and the U.K. combined.
The United States is still the number two country in the world in terms of the number of containers handled. Two massive ports in Los Angeles control over a quarter of the North American market share, and the Port of New York & New Jersey is the largest on the Eastern Seaboard.
The Stack Keeps Growing
Except for a brief slip in 2009, the number of containers moving through ports has increased every year this millennium so far.
In spite of the recent volley of tariff actions, there appears to be smooth sailing ahead for the growth of containerized shipping.
China
Ranked: The Cities with the Most Skyscrapers in 2023
We rank the world’s leading cities with the most skyscrapers, highlighting China’s remarkable dominance in building vertically.

Ranked: The Cities with the Most Skyscrapers in 2023
When it comes to soaring skylines and architectural marvels, no country has embraced the vertical revolution quite like China.
In this graphic, which uses data from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), we reveal the 25 cities with the most skyscrapers and supertall buildings globally.
Unsurprisingly, China’s cities dominate the list, solidifying the country’s reputation as a global powerhouse of tall buildings.
The 25 Top Cities by Skyscraper Count
Topping the charts is Hong Kong, with an impressive 657 skyscrapers, including six supertalls (buildings over 300 meters tall).
Rank | City | Country | Skyscrapers (>150m) | Supertalls (>300m) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hong Kong | ๐จ๐ณ China | 657 | 6 |
2 | Shenzhen | ๐จ๐ณ China | 513 | 16 |
3 | New York City | ๐บ๐ธ United States | 421 | 16 |
4 | Dubai | ๐ฆ๐ช United Arab Emirates | 395 | 28 |
5 | Guangzhou | ๐จ๐ณ China | 254 | 11 |
6 | Shanghai | ๐จ๐ณ China | 250 | 5 |
7 | Kuala Lumpur | ๐ฒ๐พ Malaysia | 211 | 5 |
8 | Chongqing | ๐จ๐ณ China | 205 | 5 |
9 | Tokyo | ๐ฏ๐ต Japan | 200 | 0 |
10 | Wuhan | ๐จ๐ณ China | 183 | 5 |
11 | Chicago | ๐บ๐ธ United States | 178 | 7 |
12 | Jakarta | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | 160 | 1 |
13 | Chengdu | ๐จ๐ณ China | 150 | 0 |
14 | Bangkok | ๐น๐ญ Thailand | 133 | 3 |
15 | Shenyang | ๐จ๐ณ China | 129 | 3 |
16 | Singapore | ๐ธ๐ฌ Singapore | 128 | 0 |
17 | Nanning | ๐จ๐ณ China | 122 | 6 |
18 | Mumbai | ๐ฎ๐ณ India | 114 | 0 |
19 | Tianjin | ๐จ๐ณ China | 109 | 3 |
20 | Nanjing | ๐จ๐ณ China | 108 | 7 |
21 | Toronto | ๐จ๐ฆ Canada | 106 | 0 |
22 | Busan | ๐ฐ๐ท South Korea | 106 | 4 |
23 | Seoul | ๐ฐ๐ท South Korea | 104 | 2 |
24 | Changsha | ๐จ๐ณ China | 97 | 5 |
25 | Melbourne | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | 94 | 1 |
Hong Kong, along with Shenzhen (#2), and Guangzhou (#5) are part of the burgeoning megacity known as the Pearl River Delta, which is home to over 1,500 skyscrapers. This is even more impressive when considering that Shenzhen was a small fishing village until the 1970s.
New York City secures the third position on the list, boasting an impressive tally of 421 skyscrapers. Although it may have relinquished its title to Chinese cities, the city’s skyline endures as a globally renowned symbol, prominently featuring the iconic Empire State Building. Notably, while the Empire State Building enjoys widespread familiarity, it no longer ranks among the world’s 50 tallest structures.
Rounding out the top five is Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, which grabs the fourth position with 395 skyscrapers, a staggering 28 of which are supertalls. This desert oasis has become synonymous with grandiose architecture and record-breaking structures, exemplified by the Burj Khalifa, which is the world’s current tallest building at 828 meters (2,715 ft).
China’s Numbers in Context
Looking at this data from another perspective, China actually has more skyscrapers on this list than the rest of the world combined.
Country | Cities in Top 25 | Skyscrapers | Supertalls |
---|---|---|---|
๐จ๐ณ China | 12 | 2777 | 72 |
๐ Rest of World | 13 | 2350 | 67 |
China’s rapid urbanization, economic growth, and ambitious construction projects have fueled this impressive feat. There’s no doubt that the country’s relentless pursuit of vertical development, coupled with its booming population and thriving cities, has positioned China as the unrivaled leader in the global skyscraper race.
The Future of the Global Skyline
As the world continues to reach new heights in architectural marvels, there are even more supertall skyscrapers in the pipeline that will reshape skylines across the globe.
From the soaring Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, poised to surpass the Burj Khalifa as the world’s tallest building, to the remarkable Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, which is set to claim the title of the world’s second-tallest structure when it opens in June 2023, these projects will captivate city dwellers for years to come.
Even as these new monumental buildings rise, China’s prominence in the world of skyscrapersโwith three cities in the top five globallyโis likely to remain unchallenged.
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