20th December 2025
China has become the world's largest builder of commercial ships by a very large margin, far surpassing the United States and most other countries. Here's how it breaks down based on the latest available data.
Shipbuilding (Construction of Commercial Vessels)
China now builds more than half of all the world’s commercial ships by tonnage, accounting for roughly 50-53 % of global shipbuilding output in recent years.
In contrast, the United States produces only a tiny fraction — around 0.1 % of global commercial shipbuilding.
One Chinese state-owned shipbuilder alone delivered more ship tonnage in 2024 than the entire U.S. commercial shipbuilding industry has produced since World War II.
This means China is not just ahead — it dominates the global shipbuilding industry, with far more commercial ships launched each year than the U.S. or any other nation.
Commercial Shipping Fleet (Registered Vessels)
When looking at ships registered under national flags, China has one of the largest merchant fleets in the world, but it is not necessarily the single largest by the number of registered ships. For example, data from 2023 shows:
Indonesia had the most registered merchant ships (about 11,400),
China had around 8,300, while
The United States had about 3,500.
However, these numbers reflect vessel registration, which is influenced by flag-of-convenience practices (where shipowners register ships in countries with favourable regulations), not just where the ships were built or who owns them.
China is the largest commercial shipbuilder in the world by a large margin, producing roughly half of all new commercial ships, far more than the United States.
China also has one of the largest commercial shipping fleets, though it may not rank first solely by the number of registered ships due to flagging practices.
The United States builds very few commercial ships domestically and has a much smaller shipbuilding industry compared with China.