A country's naval fleet plays an important role in protecting its coastline, securing maritime trade routes, and safeguarding offshore resources, making its size one of several key indicators of maritime capacity.
The world's largest naval fleets span major military powers in Asia, Europe and the Americas, but the ranking also contains two African countries.
China leads as Russia follows closely
According to Global Firepower's 2026 ranking China has the world's largest naval fleet with 841 vessels.
Russia follows in second place with 747 vessels, while the United States ranks third with 465.
