Which Country Boasts the World's Largest Naval Fleet? Hint: It's Not the U.S.

"Navies across the world contribute to international security by protecting maritime trade routes. A strong navy is capable of projecting national power far beyond a country's borders. Each navy reveals a nation's resources and priorities, and goals. These groups of men and women range from small coastal patrol forces to massive fleets with a variety of technologically advanced vessels like aircraft carriers, submarines, and destroyers. Aside from military purposes, navies also aid in things like disaster relief."

"As technology evolves and global politics shift, the world's navies continue to adapt redefine power on the open seas. To identify the countries with the most military ships and submarines, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Countries were ranked on the total number of military ships and submarines in their fleet."

"We included supplemental information regarding submarines, aircraft carriers, destroyers, corvettes, patrol vessels, and frigates, as well as each country's overall military strength score. This post was updated on December 12, 2025 to provide a brief overview of navies throughout the world, as well as why this information matters. Why We're Writing About This Understanding the size of different naval fleets, including the countries who have the largest, offers a window into power dynamics on a global scale."

Navies protect maritime trade routes, project national power, and reflect a country's resources, priorities, and strategic goals. Forces range from small coastal patrols to large fleets with aircraft carriers, submarines, destroyers, frigates, corvettes, and patrol vessels. Navies conduct military operations, deterrence, power projection, and disaster relief. Fleet sizes and compositions influence global security dynamics and diplomatic leverage. The ranking of countries by number of military ships and submarines used data from the 2024 Military Strength Ranking by Global Firepower, supplemented with vessel type counts and each country's overall military strength score. Navies continue to adapt as technology and geopolitics evolve.

Read at 24/7 Wall St.