2026-10-18 · percent of global trade by weight
Ships move most physical trade volume
Containers are visible — bulk commodities dominate ton-miles.
When sea lanes stall, most physical trade stalls with them: ships carry 80% of global trade by weight, per UNCTAD's Review of Maritime Transport (2026). The remaining 20% moves by air, road, and rail. Containers get the attention, but bulk commodities dominate the ton-miles.
1 cell = 0.1 percent of global trade by weight (0.1% of seaborne trade share) · 1,000 cells
Context
UNCTAD — the UN's trade and development body — publishes the Review of Maritime Transport as an annual accounting of how world trade physically moves, and its seaborne share is the standard benchmark for shipping's dominance.
The 80% share is measured by weight, which is where bulk rules: containers are the visible face of shipping, but bulk commodities dominate the ton-miles that actually move the world's goods.
The other 20% of trade by weight moves by air, road, and rail. Those modes carry a small slice of physical volume but handle much of what is urgent, perishable, or moving within continents.
UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport shares.
Share and export
Credit this grid as Inagrid — https://inagrid.com/e/2026-10-18-shipping-trade
Keep exploring
Next in the archive