PARIS — China built more than twice the naval tonnage of the United States in the 2024-25 period, according to the World Defense Shipbuilding report published by Euronaval ahead of the 2026 naval defense show.
The combined tonnage of combat ships built by China in the two years through December 2025 amounted to 636,208 tons, compared to 270,509 tons for the United States, according to data compiled by Flottes de Combat and French maritime industry association Gican.
China accounted for more than a third of the global naval tonnage constructed in 2024-25, the report said. Global naval construction reached 1.47 million tons in 2024-25, up from 959,671 tons in the prior two years. The value of global naval construction was $123.9 billion, climbing from $81.8 billion in 2022-23.
The value of Chinese combat-vessel construction was $43.5 billion in the latest two-year period, compared with $26.8 billion for the U.S., the report said.
China reversed its position from 2022-23, when its naval yards produced 202,520 tons compared with 245,703 tons for the U.S., according to the previous edition of the report published in 2024.
As of Jan. 1, 2026, the U.S. fleet of combat vessels of more than 200 tons amounted to 3.11 million tons, compared to 1.44 million tons for China’s fleet. Two years earlier, the U.S. fleet was 3.22 million tons and China’s was 1.3 million tons.
Russia was in third place in naval construction in 2024-25 with 149,056 tons built, followed by India with 76,430 tons and Italy with 53,700 tons. Turkey, France, Japan, South Korea and Romania rounded out the top 10 of naval builders.
“We are seeing a fairly substantial expansion of naval forces, and consequently of shipbuilding,” said Philippe Missoffe, general director of Gican, in a press briefing. “We’re seeing an increase in power capabilities, particularly nuclear-powered attack submarines for example.”
U.S. lawmakers and congressional researchers have warned that China’s greater shipbuilding capacity, combined with delays and bottlenecks in U.S. naval shipbuilding, could hurt America’s ability to keep up with Beijing’s expanding fleet.
The four-day Euronaval show, the world’s biggest maritime-defense exhibition, is set to kick off in Paris on Nov. 3. The number of exhibitors will be more than 40% higher than in 2024, according to the organizers.
Sources: Defense News · Navy Times