The volume of inland waterway international freight transport in France was at 2.15 billion tonne kilometers in 2023. Over the past decade, there's been a noticeable fluctuating trend, with a significant decline from 2.95 billion tonne kilometers in 2013 to lower levels by 2023. The year-on-year variation largely supports this observation, showcasing major drops in 2016 (-6.83%) and particularly in 2020 (-17.46%) amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The last two years saw continued declines with a year-on-year change of -2.45% in 2022 and -3.35% in 2023. Over the last 5 years, the average annual change (CAGR) was -2.81%.
Future forecasts indicate a continued decline, with the value expected to drop to 1.76 billion tonne kilometers by 2028, representing an anticipated 5-year CAGR of -3.23%. This long-term downward trend suggests potential challenges for the sector.
Future trends to watch for:
• Technological advancements improving efficiency in waterway transport.
• Economic policies affecting inland freight transport demand.
• Environmental regulations impacting infrastructural improvements.
• Alternative transport logistics and competition from other freight methods.
