China Built More Than Twice US Naval Tonnage in 2024-25, Euronaval Report
World Defense Shipbuilding report puts Chinese combat-ship output at 636,208 tons against 270,509 tons for the United States
By AXY Defense Desk ·
Key points
- China built 636,208 tons of combat ships in 2024-25, more than twice the 270,509 tons built by the United States, according to the World Defense Shipbuilding report by Euronaval.
- China accounted for more than a third of the global naval tonnage built in the period, out of 1.47 million tons in total.
- The value of Chinese combat-vessel construction reached $43.5 billion, compared with $26.8 billion for the United States.
- The U.S. still holds a much larger existing fleet, at 3.11 million tons versus China's 1.44 million tons as of January 1, 2026.
- U.S. lawmakers and congressional researchers have linked the shift to delays and bottlenecks in American naval shipbuilding.
- The four-day Euronaval show opens in Paris on November 3, with exhibitor numbers more than 40 percent higher than in 2024, according to organizers.
PARIS — China built more than twice the naval tonnage of the United States in 2024-25, narrowing the gap between the two countries' navies, according to the World Defense Shipbuilding report published by Euronaval ahead of the 2026 edition of the naval defense show. The combined tonnage of combat ships China built in the two years through December 2025 came to 636,208 tons, compared with 270,509 tons for the United States.
The figures were compiled from data gathered by Flottes de Combat and Gican, a French maritime industry association. The report places China at more than a third of the global naval tonnage constructed in 2024-25. The findings arrive as U.S. lawmakers and congressional researchers have warned that China's greater shipbuilding capacity, combined with delays and bottlenecks in American naval construction, could hurt Washington's ability to keep pace with Beijing's expanding fleet.
Philippe Missoffe, general director of Gican, described the trend at a press briefing in Paris on Tuesday. “We are seeing a fairly substantial expansion of naval forces, and consequently of shipbuilding,” he said. “We're seeing an increase in power capabilities, particularly nuclear-powered attack submarines for example.”
What Naval Tonnage Measures
Naval tonnage is the total weight of ships built over a given period. It is widely used as a rough gauge of how much shipbuilding capacity a country is putting to work, because it allows analysts to compare output across very different navies using a single unit. Tonnage is measured in tons, typically displacement tons, and it reflects the physical size of hulls rather than their combat power.
That distinction matters. A large vessel can carry relatively little firepower, while a smaller submarine can be far more consequential in a conflict. A nuclear-powered attack submarine, for example, can cost many times more than a surface ship of similar weight, and its value lies in stealth, endurance and the weapons it carries. For this reason, defense analysts generally read tonnage alongside cost, fleet size, and the mix of vessel types being built, rather than treating it as a direct measure of fighting strength.
The report also gives value figures. According to the report, the value of Chinese combat-vessel construction reached US$43.5 billion in the latest two-year period, compared with $26.8 billion for the United States. Because prices vary widely by ship type and shipyard, value and tonnage do not always move in step. In this report, however, both measures point in the same direction.
A Global Shipbuilding Boom
Global naval construction grew sharply across the period. The report says 1.47 million tons of combat vessels were built worldwide in 2024-25, compared with 959,671 tons in the prior two years. The total value of global naval construction reached $123.9 billion, climbing from $81.8 billion in 2022-23.
That expansion reflects a broader shift in defense priorities. Many governments in Europe, Asia and the Middle East have increased military spending in recent years, and navies have been among the chief beneficiaries because ships take a long time to design and build. For ordinary readers, the practical consequence is that shipyards, steel suppliers, skilled workers and naval contractors are being pulled into long-term programs that can shape industrial jobs and national budgets for decades. A surge in orders also means that countries compete for the same limited pool of engineers, components and shipyard space.
How China's Position Has Changed
The report's most striking finding is the reversal in relative output. According to the previous edition of the shipbuilding report, published in 2024, China's naval yards produced 202,520 tons in 2022-2023, compared with 245,703 tons for the United States. In the latest period, that order was reversed, with China ahead by a wide margin.
China's naval modernization has been one of the most closely watched defense trends of the past two decades. Beijing has expanded its navy steadily, building surface combatants, submarines and amphibious vessels, and it has developed a large domestic shipbuilding base. Western analysts have repeatedly noted that the sheer volume of Chinese construction gives the country an advantage in the number of hulls it can put into service, even where individual ships may differ from their American counterparts in technology or capability.
Fleet totals tell a different story from new construction. The report says the U.S. fleet of combat vessels of more than 200 tons amounted to 3.11 million tons as of January 1, 2026, compared with 1.44 million tons for China's fleet. Two years earlier, the figures were 3.22 million tons for the United States and 1.3 million tons for China. The existing gap therefore remains large in America's favor, even as Chinese output has outpaced American output in the most recent period.
Why US Shipbuilding Is Under Scrutiny
The report's findings echo a concern that has been raised repeatedly in Washington. U.S. lawmakers and congressional researchers have warned that delays and bottlenecks in American naval shipbuilding could weaken the country's ability to keep up with China's fleet. Such concerns have been raised in relation to several major programs, including submarines, which are central to both the nuclear deterrent and conventional undersea operations.
Analysts say these problems are difficult to fix quickly. Shipbuilding depends on skilled trades such as welders, machinists and electricians, and training them takes years. New shipyard capacity requires large investments and long lead times, and suppliers of specialized components can become bottlenecks when several programs run at once. Cost growth and design changes can also push back delivery dates, which in turn affects how many ships a navy can field at a given time.
This is why the debate has moved beyond ship counts. Lawmakers must decide whether to fund new shipyards, how to retain skilled workers and how to balance spending between ships, aircraft and other capabilities. Because a warship can take many years to complete, decisions made now will shape the size and readiness of the fleet well into the next decade.
Other Leading Naval Builders
The report ranks Russia third in naval construction in 2024-25, with 149,056 tons built. India followed with 76,430 tons and Italy with 53,700 tons. Turkey, France, Japan, South Korea and Romania completed the top 10 of naval builders.
The ranking shows that the rise in shipbuilding is not confined to the two largest powers. Yet the scale of the Chinese and American figures stands well above the rest of the list, and the combined total of the top two accounts for a large share of the global output the report describes. For countries lower in the rankings, shipbuilding decisions can carry significant industrial and strategic weight, particularly where they involve exports or partnerships with allied navies.
What to Watch at Euronaval
The four-day Euronaval show, which the organizers describe as the world's biggest maritime-defense exhibition, is set to open in Paris on November 3. According to the organizers, the number of exhibitors will be more than 40 percent higher than in 2024. The event is likely to bring announcements from shipbuilders, equipment makers and navies, and it may offer more detail on the programs behind the tonnage figures.
Analysts expect the debate over shipbuilding capacity to influence defense budgets in the United States, Europe and Asia in the coming years. Several indicators will help show whether the trend continues. These include delivery schedules for major U.S. submarine and surface-ship programs, decisions on shipyard investment and workforce training, and whether Chinese construction keeps up its recent pace. The report is a snapshot of two years of output, so later editions will show whether the gap widens, holds or narrows.
For readers, the central point is that tonnage is a useful but partial measure. The numbers show who is building ships at scale, and they suggest that China's industrial base is now producing more naval tonnage than the United States. They do not, on their own, show which navy would perform better in a conflict, which depends on ship design, weapons, crews, logistics and the fleet's existing strength.
Questions and answers
How much naval tonnage did China build compared with the US in 2024-25?
According to the World Defense Shipbuilding report published by Euronaval, China built 636,208 tons of combat ships through December 2025, compared with 270,509 tons for the United States over the same two years.
Does China now have a bigger navy than the US?
The report does not say so. It shows China built more than twice the US tonnage in 2024-25, but the U.S. fleet of combat vessels over 200 tons was 3.11 million tons as of January 1, 2026, compared with 1.44 million tons for China.
Why is US shipbuilding a concern?
U.S. lawmakers and congressional researchers have warned that delays and bottlenecks in American naval shipbuilding, combined with China's greater capacity, could hurt America's ability to keep up with Beijing's expanding fleet.
When is the Euronaval show in Paris?
The four-day Euronaval show, described by its organizers as the world's biggest maritime-defense exhibition, is set to open in Paris on November 3, with more than 40 percent more exhibitors than in 2024, according to the organizers.
Topics: Euronaval, China navy, US Navy shipbuilding, naval tonnage, World Defense Shipbuilding report, Gican, Paris naval defense show
Sources: Military Times