In 2025, the volume of seaborne transport increased compared to the previous year. According to Statistics Finland, cargo volumes in foreign traffic grew by approximately 4.7% from the 2024 level. Exports increased by nearly 11%, while imports declined slightly, by about half a percent. Overall, the total volume of foreign cargo amounted to 90.2 million tonnes in 2025 (cf. 86.1 million tonnes in 2024), with exports at 45.2 million tonnes (cf. 40.8 million tonnes in 2024) and imports at 45.0 million tonnes (cf. 45.3 million tonnes in 2024).
The volume of international container traffic also increased. In 2025, a total of 1.442 million TEUs passed through Finnish ports, of which 0.727 million TEUs were exports and 0.714 million TEUs imports. This represents an 8.9% increase from the previous year. Of the total tonnage of Finland’s foreign trade, 95.2% was transported by sea. In terms of value, maritime transport accounted for 82.5% of Finland’s foreign trade. The share of maritime transport was higher in imports than in exports. The figures are based on preliminary data from Finnish Customs’ foreign trade statistics for 2025.
“Ports play a critical role in Finland’s accessibility and security of supply: more than 95% of foreign trade passes through ports. During this decade, the pandemic, Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, and global economic uncertainties have brought changes and unpredictability to the market. In 2025, growth was finally seen in port transport volumes,” says Piia Karjalainen, CEO of the Finnish Ports Association.
Passenger traffic also saw a slight increase in 2025. A total of nearly 13.9 million passengers travelled through ports. The number of passengers grew by 2.4% from the previous year (13.5 million passengers in 2024). The Port of Helsinki remained the busiest passenger port, with close to 9.8 million passengers.
The data are based on the latest 2025 statistics from Statistics Finland and Finnish Customs. Up-to-date information on cargo and passenger traffic in both foreign and domestic waterborne transport is available on the Finnish Ports Association’s website: Port Traffic Statistics | Finnish Ports Association.
