U.S import container activity ended the year -0.4% below 2024 levels. U.S. container import volumes in December 2025 rose slightly by 2% month-over-month but fell by -5.9% compared to December 2024, according to the January Global Shipping Report from Descartes Systems Group
Looking at December’s year-over-year performance for U.S. containerized imports from the top 10 countries of origin, imports fell by -8.4% overall. China-origin volumes continued to weaken, registering the largest drop at -21.8%, followed by India at -15%, and Taiwan at -13.2%.The Descartes report noted that China’s share of total U.S. container imports in December was 31.7%, its lowest December share in six years.
Conversely, Southeast Asian countries posted strong growth, partially offsetting declines elsewhere. Thailand led with a 28.3% increase, followed by Vietnam at 21.5% and Indonesia at 19.6%.
Descartes said that global supply chains will remain under pressure in 2026, citing key challenges such as tariff uncertainty, uneven sourcing shifts, and heightened geopolitical risks linked to ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, Iran and Israel, as well as political instability in Venezuela.
The National Retail Federation has projected that import volumes at major U.S. ports would remain lower than year ago levels through spring. NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said, “There should be a brief bump in imports this month ahead of Lunar New Year factory shutdowns in Asia, but we’re otherwise headed into the post-holiday shipping lull that comes each year.”