In 2024, the ports of Greece and Italy recorded the highest number of passengers in the EU, according to Eurostat data. Italy welcomed 93.5 million passengers (22.7% of the total), while Greece recorded 81.1 million (19.7%). Denmark came third with 41.3 million passengers.

The three busiest ports were all Italian: Messina (11.4 million), Reggio di Calabria (11.2 million) and Naples (11 million), while Piraeus ranked fourth with 10 million passengers.

It is noted that from 2019 to 2024, Greece increased its passenger numbers by 7.1 million (+9.7%), Italy by 7 million (+8%) and Malta by 2 million (+14.9%). By contrast, Sweden, Finland and Germany recorded significant decreases.

Overall, EU ports welcomed 412.3 million passengers, marking an increase of 4.8% compared to 2023, although traffic remains slightly below 2019 levels (-1.4%).