WBG: The Container Port Performance Index 2020 to 2024: Trends and lessons learned
The World Bank Group
September 23, 2025
The Container Port Performance Index 2020 to 2024: Trends and lessons learned
Container ports are critical nodes in globally connected supply chains, handling merchandise and semi-finished products. The Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) measures the time container ships spend in port, making it an important point of reference for stakeholders in the global economy and for the sustainable development of ports.
A timely turnaround of container ships is crucial to keep logistics costs low and supply chains efficient, ensuring that ports remain resilient catalysts for development. Time-efficient container ports enable ships to achieve fuel and emissions savings, making the index a key contributor to shipping decarbonization efforts.
The aim of the CPPI is to provide an objective measure of container port performance, identify global or local trends in maritime container trade efficiency, and highlight where vessel time in port could be improved. Since its first edition in 2021, the World Bank has partnered with S&P Global Market Intelligence to publish the CPPI annually.
The fifth edition of the CPPI, jointly developed by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, provides a comparative global assessment of container port performance. As usual, it covers new data from the previous calendar year, 2024, and also discusses trends over the five years from 2020 to 2024. By focusing on vessel time in port as the core metric of performance, the CPPI highlights significant changes in ports’ operational efficiency and aids in identifying emerging patterns in global maritime logistics. It employs the same methodology as in previous editions, combining two complementary approaches (referred to as “administrative” and “statistical”) to produce a robust and normalized score.
CPPI trends reflect global supply chain disruptions and recoveries
Over the five-year horizon, the CPPI has proven to be a reliable mirror of the broader stresses and recoveries observed across global supply chains. Several global indices, including the Global Supply Chain Pressure Index (GSCPI), the Global Supply Chain Stress Index (GSCSI), the Port Congestion Index (PCI), and the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI), show clear and synchronous patterns with CPPI developments. Thus, the CPPI score and the year-on-year changes (see Annex) are influenced by factors beyond the control of an individual terminal.
A seemingly earlier recovery was partially reversed in 2024. The resurgence of stress in global maritime supply chains, stemming from the Red Sea crisis and ongoing climate-related disruptions at the Panama Canal, triggered new operational inefficiencies. Rerouted shipping via the Cape of Good Hope and reduced transits through the Panama Canal led to schedule unreliability and increased port congestion. CPPI scores declined modestly, though less dramatically than during the COVID-19 era. The disruptions in 2024 were primarily geopolitical and climatic rather than demand-driven, underscoring the evolving nature of global supply chain vulnerabilities.
Regional trends and impacts
The CPPI trends reveal strong regional variation in both shock exposure and crisis recovery:
September 23, 2025
The Container Port Performance Index 2020 to 2024: Trends and lessons learned
Container ports are critical nodes in globally connected supply chains, handling merchandise and semi-finished products. The Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) measures the time container ships spend in port, making it an important point of reference for stakeholders in the global economy and for the sustainable development of ports.
A timely turnaround of container ships is crucial to keep logistics costs low and supply chains efficient, ensuring that ports remain resilient catalysts for development. Time-efficient container ports enable ships to achieve fuel and emissions savings, making the index a key contributor to shipping decarbonization efforts.
The aim of the CPPI is to provide an objective measure of container port performance, identify global or local trends in maritime container trade efficiency, and highlight where vessel time in port could be improved. Since its first edition in 2021, the World Bank has partnered with S&P Global Market Intelligence to publish the CPPI annually.
The fifth edition of the CPPI, jointly developed by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, provides a comparative global assessment of container port performance. As usual, it covers new data from the previous calendar year, 2024, and also discusses trends over the five years from 2020 to 2024. By focusing on vessel time in port as the core metric of performance, the CPPI highlights significant changes in ports’ operational efficiency and aids in identifying emerging patterns in global maritime logistics. It employs the same methodology as in previous editions, combining two complementary approaches (referred to as “administrative” and “statistical”) to produce a robust and normalized score.
CPPI trends reflect global supply chain disruptions and recoveries
Over the five-year horizon, the CPPI has proven to be a reliable mirror of the broader stresses and recoveries observed across global supply chains. Several global indices, including the Global Supply Chain Pressure Index (GSCPI), the Global Supply Chain Stress Index (GSCSI), the Port Congestion Index (PCI), and the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI), show clear and synchronous patterns with CPPI developments. Thus, the CPPI score and the year-on-year changes (see Annex) are influenced by factors beyond the control of an individual terminal.
A seemingly earlier recovery was partially reversed in 2024. The resurgence of stress in global maritime supply chains, stemming from the Red Sea crisis and ongoing climate-related disruptions at the Panama Canal, triggered new operational inefficiencies. Rerouted shipping via the Cape of Good Hope and reduced transits through the Panama Canal led to schedule unreliability and increased port congestion. CPPI scores declined modestly, though less dramatically than during the COVID-19 era. The disruptions in 2024 were primarily geopolitical and climatic rather than demand-driven, underscoring the evolving nature of global supply chain vulnerabilities.
Regional trends and impacts
The CPPI trends reveal strong regional variation in both shock exposure and crisis recovery:
- North America and Europe suffered the most during the COVID-19 pandemic, with North American ports recording the lowest CPPI scores globally in 2022. However, by 2024, they had largely stabilized and maintained performance levels comparable to those in 2023.
- South Asia demonstrated exceptional recovery capacity. It was the only region whose average CPPI score in 2023 exceeded that of 2020, though the Red Sea disruptions again weighed on performance in 2024. The Container Port Performance Index 2020 to 2024 Trends and lessons learned
- Middle East and North Africa ports initially led the rankings in 2020, but their average performance declined notably in 2023 and 2024, largely due to the repercussions from the Red Sea crisis.
- Sub-Saharan Africa continues to face persistent challenges, including limited automation and weaker hinterland connectivity. The Red Sea crisis added further strain in 2024, withre-routed ships adding to congestion.
Read the full story: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/transport/publication/cppi-2024