China's Naval Shipbuilding Output More Than Doubled That of the U.S. in 2024-25, Euronaval Report Reveals

Summary

According to the World Defense Shipbuilding report released by Euronaval ahead of its 2026 naval defense exhibition, China constructed 636,208 tons of combat ships in the 2024-25 period, more than double the United States' 270,509 tons, accounting for over a third of all global naval tonnage produced. This marks a significant reversal from the 2022-23 period, when the U.S. actually outpaced China with 245,703 tons compared to China's 202,520 tons, highlighting the dramatic acceleration of Beijing's shipbuilding program. Despite China's surging construction pace, the U.S. still maintains a considerably larger overall fleet, with 3.11 million tons of combat vessels compared to China's 1.44 million tons as of January 1, 2026. Global naval construction as a whole experienced a major boom, with 1.47 million tons of combat vessels built in 2024-25 — valued at $123.9 billion — compared to approximately 959,671 tons worth $81.8 billion in the previous two-year period. U.S. lawmakers and congressional researchers have expressed concern that China's expanding shipbuilding capacity, coupled with ongoing delays in American naval production, could increasingly threaten the U.S. Navy's ability to keep pace with China's growing fleet.