NATO, which stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is an alliance of North American and European countries. This organization was formed in 1949, four years after the end of WWII. Should a third world war erupt, these western countries would have each other’s backs and offer support. This group of democratic countries is now at 32, each of which has promised to defend its sister nations to the best of their ability in times of vulnerability and conflict.
Not all militaries within the NATO group are created equal. For example, America has the strongest military by far, while some smaller European countries barely have an army. In fact, Iceland is known for lacking an army entirely. But among the nations with military strength, an effective navy is a big part of their power.
To identify the NATO countries with the most military ships and submarines, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Countries were ranked on the total number of military ships and submarines in their fleet. We included supplemental information regarding submarines, aircraft carriers, destroyers, corvettes, patrol vessels, and frigates, as well as each country’s overall military strength score.
Why This Matters
In addition to Sweden, there are a number of formidable navies within NATO. The United States is by far considered the strongest naval power in the world, boasting 11 aircraft carriers. Italy ranks high as well, with over 300 warships and submarines, as well as two aircraft carriers.
Here is a look at the NATO countries with the most military ships and submarines:
32. Iceland
- Total ships and submarines: 0
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 0
- Military strength score: 3.5038 – #136 out of 145
31. North Macedonia
- Total ships and submarines: 0
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 0
- Military strength score: 2.1717 – #110 out of 145
30. Luxembourg
- Total ships and submarines: 0
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 0
- Military strength score: 2.1458 – #109 out of 145
29. Slovakia
- Total ships and submarines: 0
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 0
- Military strength score: 1.1891 – #69 out of 145
28. Hungary
- Total ships and submarines: 0
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 0
- Military strength score: 0.8478 – #54 out of 145
27. Czechia
- Total ships and submarines: 0
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 0
- Military strength score: 0.7706 – #46 out of 145
26. Slovenia
- Total ships and submarines: 2
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 2
- Military strength score: 1.8286 – #91 out of 145
25. Belgium
- Total ships and submarines: 9
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 2
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 2
- Military strength score: 1.2064 – #70 out of 145
24. Estonia
- Total ships and submarines: 10
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 6
- Military strength score: 1.7237 – #87 out of 145
23. Lithuania
- Total ships and submarines: 11
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 4
- Military strength score: 1.7395 – #88 out of 145
22. Montenegro
- Total ships and submarines: 13
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 5
- Military strength score: 2.9109 – #129 out of 145
21. Latvia
- Total ships and submarines: 18
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 11
- Military strength score: 1.9911 – #99 out of 145
20. Albania
- Total ships and submarines: 19
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 19
- Military strength score: 1.8188 – #90 out of 145
19. Romania
- Total ships and submarines: 20
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 7
- Frigates: 3
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 3
- Military strength score: 0.7712 – #47 out of 145
18. Norway
- Total ships and submarines: 25
- Total submarines: 6
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 6
- Frigates: 4
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 17
- Military strength score: 0.5664 – #41 out of 145
17. Croatia
- Total ships and submarines: 32
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 10
- Military strength score: 1.1333 – #66 out of 145
16. Bulgaria
- Total ships and submarines: 40
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 3
- Frigates: 4
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 2
- Military strength score: 1.0132 – #62 out of 145
15. Poland
- Total ships and submarines: 45
- Total submarines: 1
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 2
- Frigates: 2
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 3
- Military strength score: 0.2917 – #21 out of 145
14. Germany
- Total ships and submarines: 64
- Total submarines: 6
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 5
- Frigates: 12
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 0
- Military strength score: 0.2847 – #19 out of 145
13. Canada
- Total ships and submarines: 67
- Total submarines: 4
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 12
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 14
- Military strength score: 0.3813 – #27 out of 145
12. Denmark
- Total ships and submarines: 91
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 9
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 45
- Military strength score: 0.7743 – #48 out of 145
11. Netherlands
- Total ships and submarines: 112
- Total submarines: 3
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 6
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 4
- Military strength score: 0.5644 – #40 out of 145
10. Portugal
- Total ships and submarines: 113
- Total submarines: 2
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 2
- Frigates: 5
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 20
- Military strength score: 0.5609 – #38 out of 145
9. United Kingdom
- Total ships and submarines: 117
- Total submarines: 10
- Aircraft carriers: 2
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 11
- Destroyers: 6
- Patrol vessels: 26
- Military strength score: 0.1443 – #6 out of 145
8. France
- Total ships and submarines: 128
- Total submarines: 9
- Aircraft carriers: 1
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 11
- Destroyers: 10
- Patrol vessels: 15
- Military strength score: 0.1878 – #11 out of 145
7. Spain
- Total ships and submarines: 168
- Total submarines: 3
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 11
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 23
- Military strength score: 0.2882 – #20 out of 145
6. Turkey
- Total ships and submarines: 186
- Total submarines: 12
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 9
- Frigates: 16
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 34
- Military strength score: 0.1697 – #8 out of 145
5. Greece
- Total ships and submarines: 187
- Total submarines: 11
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 13
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 35
- Military strength score: 0.4349 – #32 out of 145
4. Finland
- Total ships and submarines: 246
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 8
- Military strength score: 0.7967 – #50 out of 145
3. Italy
- Total ships and submarines: 309
- Total submarines: 8
- Aircraft carriers: 2
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 13
- Destroyers: 4
- Patrol vessels: 18
- Military strength score: 0.1863 – #10 out of 145
2. Sweden
- Total ships and submarines: 353
- Total submarines: 5
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 7
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 298
- Military strength score: 0.4009 – #29 out of 145
1. United States
- Total ships and submarines: 472
- Total submarines: 64
- Aircraft carriers: 11
- Corvettes: 23
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 75
- Patrol vessels: 5
- Military strength score: 0.0699 – #1 out of 145
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