Note: Measured by port TEU activity along oceanic ranges. The Indian Ocean includes the Persian Gulf.
Since the 1980s, a significant rebalancing of the intensity of trade by ocean has taken place, particularly over containerized trade. As international trade taking place over the Pacific Ocean increased, the Atlantic Ocean experienced a relative decline in its share. While the Atlantic accounted for 49% of global trade activity in 1980, this share decreased by more than half to 20% in 2020. The share of the Indian Ocean doubled to 12%, but this figure does not account for the substantial traffic transiting along the Asia / Mediterranean / European trade route. The share of the Mediterranean has declined slightly to around 8%. Still, the Mediterranean, like the Indian Ocean, is a significant transit point along major Asia/Europe trade routes.