China's shipyards built more than twice the warship tonnage of the US in 2024-25, industry study finds

China's shipyards completed more than twice as much combat-ship tonnage as American yards over 2024 and 2025, according to the World Defense Shipbuilding study that the organisers of the Euronaval naval exhibition presented to reporters in Paris on 20 October.

The study, compiled by the French naval industry association GICAN with the reference publication Flottes de Combat, counts 636,208 tons of combat vessels built in China in the two years to the end of December 2025. The United States built 270,509 tons over the same period, Defense News reported. That put China's share at more than a third of all naval tonnage built worldwide.

The balance has flipped since the previous edition of the study, published in 2024. In 2022 and 2023, Chinese naval yards produced 202,520 tons against 245,703 tons for the United States. By value, Chinese combat-ship construction in the latest period came to 43.5 billion US dollars, compared with 26.8 billion for American shipbuilding.

The existing fleets still tilt the other way. As of 1 January 2026 the US fleet of combat vessels above 200 tons totalled 3.11 million tons, against 1.44 million tons for China, the study found. Two years earlier the figures stood at 3.22 million and 1.3 million tons, so the gap narrowed from both ends as the US fleet shrank slightly and China's grew.

Mer et Marine reported that the data presented by GICAN director general Philippe Missoffe show the acceleration is being driven in particular by China, which has very large industrial capacity and a notably young fleet, with about 40 percent of its ships less than eight years old. Missoffe told reporters that navies are expanding and adding more powerful capabilities, particularly nuclear-powered attack submarines.

The boom is global. Combat-vessel construction worldwide reached 1.47 million tons in 2024 and 2025, up from 959,671 tons in the two previous years, and its value rose from 81.8 billion to 123.9 billion US dollars. According to Mer et Marine, the number of nuclear attack submarines produced rose from 10 to 17 between the two periods, representing more than 27 billion dollars of investment, while destroyer construction doubled.

Russia ranked third among naval builders with 149,056 tons, followed by India with 76,430 tons and Italy with 53,700 tons. Turkey, France, Japan, South Korea and Romania completed the top ten, Defense News reported.

The figures add to warnings in Washington. US lawmakers and congressional researchers have cautioned that China's larger shipbuilding capacity, combined with delays and bottlenecks in American naval programmes, could undermine the US Navy's ability to keep pace with Beijing's growing fleet, Defense News noted.

The study was released ahead of Euronaval, the large maritime defence show due to open at Paris Nord Villepinte on 3 November. Organisers expect about 700 exhibitors, up from 483 in 2024, including some 60 companies specialising in naval drones, compared with 17 at the last edition, Mer et Marine reported.