Far beyond the safety of dry and solid land, militaries around the world protect their nations even across vast expanses of ocean by deploying ships, submarines, and other naval vessels. These ships encompass a country’s naval fleet and are outfitted with hundreds and even thousands of soldiers ready to defend their country. A strong navy can be the deciding factor in a war, as demonstrated by aircraft carriers in World War II.
The United States is considered the strongest naval power on the planet, although it does not have the largest fleet. The fact that the U.S. Navy is home to 11 aircraft carriers, which are host to hundreds of aircraft, is part of what makes it one of the strongest in the world. (These are the U.S. Navy’s newest ships.)
However, naval power goes further than just aircraft carriers. Submarines, corvettes, and support ships each play an integral role in how any country projects power in the ocean. The United States, Russia, and China each possess a sizable submarine force, but there is a great disparity between these nations and the rest of the world. Most other major naval powers (outside of these three), only have a handful of submarines at their disposal. However, they make up for this lack with destroyers, corvettes, and frigates. (These are the fastest military ships and submarines in the world.)
Sweden’s recent admission to NATO adds a strong naval component to the overall alliance. With over 350 ships in its fleet, Sweden is capable of keeping a watchful eye on the North Atlantic and practically everything in the Baltic Sea.
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.
Why We’re Writing About This
The sheer size of a country’s naval fleet can illustrate a major aspect of the nation’s military strength and influence. During conflicts, these forces are often the first to rally for defense and provide incredible firepower against opponents. However, even during times of peace, naval fleets help to patrol global trade and major sea lanes.
Here is a look at the countries with the most military ships and submarines:
30. Bangladesh
- Total ships and submarines: 117
- Total submarines: 2
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 6
- Frigates: 7
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 55
- Military strength score: 0.5419 – #37 out of 145
29. United Kingdom
- Total ships and submarines: 117
- Total submarines: 10
- Aircraft carriers: 2
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 11
- Destroyers: 6
- Patrol vessels:: 26
- Military strength score: 0.1443 – #6 out of 145
28. Morocco
- Total ships and submarines: 121
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 1
- Frigates: 6
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 22
- Military strength score: 1.0081 – #61 out of 145
27. Kuwait
- Total ships and submarines: 123
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 106
- Military strength score: 1.4261 – #77 out of 145
26. Qatar
- Total ships and submarines: 123
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 4
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 20
- Military strength score: 1.0789 – #63 out of 145
25. France
- Total ships and submarines: 128
- Total submarines: 9
- Aircraft carriers: 1
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 11
- Destroyers: 10
- Patrol vessels:: 15
- Military strength score: 0.1878 – #11 out of 145
24. Chile
- Total ships and submarines: 130
- Total submarines: 4
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 8
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 40
- Military strength score: 0.8128 – #52 out of 145
23. Nigeria
- Total ships and submarines: 133
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 1
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 109
- Military strength score: 0.5619 – #39 out of 145
22. Brazil
- Total ships and submarines: 134
- Total submarines: 4
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 2
- Frigates: 6
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 23
- Military strength score: 0.1944 – #12 out of 145
21. Egypt
- Total ships and submarines: 140
- Total submarines: 8
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 7
- Frigates: 13
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 42
- Military strength score: 0.2283 – #15 out of 145
20. Japan
- Total ships and submarines: 155
- Total submarines: 23
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 6
- Frigates: 4
- Destroyers: 36
- Patrol vessels:: 6
- Military strength score: 0.1601 – #7 out of 145
19. Spain
- Total ships and submarines: 168
- Total submarines: 3
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 11
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 23
- Military strength score: 0.2882 – #20 out of 145
18. Turkey
- Total ships and submarines: 186
- Total submarines: 12
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 9
- Frigates: 16
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 34
- Military strength score: 0.1697 – #8 out of 145
17. Greece
- Total ships and submarines: 187
- Total submarines: 11
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 13
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 35
- Military strength score: 0.4349 – #32 out of 145
16. Mexico
- Total ships and submarines: 194
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 4
- Frigates: 11
- Destroyers: 5
- Patrol vessels:: 150
- Military strength score: 0.4274 – #31 out of 145
15. South Korea
- Total ships and submarines: 200
- Total submarines: 22
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 5
- Frigates: 17
- Destroyers: 13
- Patrol vessels:: 35
- Military strength score: 0.1416 – #5 out of 145
14. Algeria
- Total ships and submarines: 213
- Total submarines: 6
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 16
- Frigates: 8
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 75
- Military strength score: 0.3589 – #26 out of 145
13. Myanmar
- Total ships and submarines: 227
- Total submarines: 3
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 3
- Frigates: 6
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 124
- Military strength score: 0.5251 – #35 out of 145
12. Colombia
- Total ships and submarines: 237
- Total submarines: 4
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 2
- Frigates: 9
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 219
- Military strength score: 0.7347 – #44 out of 145
11. Finland
- Total ships and submarines: 246
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 8
- Military strength score: 0.7967 – #50 out of 145
10. Sri Lanka
- Total ships and submarines: 270
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 5
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 59
- Military strength score: 1.3459 – #75 out of 145
9. Thailand
- Total ships and submarines: 293
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 6
- Frigates: 7
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 49
- Military strength score: 0.3389 – #25 out of 145
8. India
- Total ships and submarines: 294
- Total submarines: 18
- Aircraft carriers: 2
- Corvettes: 18
- Frigates: 12
- Destroyers: 12
- Patrol vessels:: 137
- Military strength score: 0.1023 – #4 out of 145
7. Italy
- Total ships and submarines: 309
- Total submarines: 8
- Aircraft carriers: 2
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 13
- Destroyers: 4
- Patrol vessels:: 18
- Military strength score: 0.1863 – #10 out of 145
6. Indonesia
- Total ships and submarines: 333
- Total submarines: 4
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 25
- Frigates: 8
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 205
- Military strength score: 0.2251 – #13 out of 145
5. Sweden
- Total ships and submarines: 353
- Total submarines: 5
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 7
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 298
- Military strength score: 0.4009 – #29 out of 145
4. United States
- Total ships and submarines: 472
- Total submarines: 64
- Aircraft carriers: 11
- Corvettes: 23
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 75
- Patrol vessels:: 5
- Military strength score: 0.0699 – #1 out of 145
3. North Korea
- Total ships and submarines: 505
- Total submarines: 35
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 4
- Frigates: 1
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels:: 169
- Military strength score: 0.5313 – #36 out of 145
2. China
- Total ships and submarines: 730
- Total submarines: 61
- Aircraft carriers: 2
- Corvettes: 72
- Frigates: 42
- Destroyers: 49
- Patrol vessels:: 150
- Military strength score: 0.0706 – #3 out of 145
1. Russia
- Total ships and submarines: 781
- Total submarines: 65
- Aircraft carriers: 1
- Corvettes: 83
- Frigates: 12
- Destroyers: 14
- Patrol vessels:: 122
- Military strength score: 0.0702 – #2 out of 145
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