Submarines are on the cutting-edge of military technology, and are often used to project power around the world. The Ohio-class of submarines fielded by the United States are nuclear powered and house multiple nuclear warheads capable of hitting targets thousands of miles away. While the U.S. Navy relies heavily on these subs for its nuclear-deterrent triad, other nations like Russia and China are operating their own submarine fleets to their own strategic ends.
Submarines serve in naval arsenals for strategic deterrence, including nuclear deterrence, making them central components of the world’s main naval powers.
To determine the country with the most submarines, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed GlobalFirePower, an annually-updated website tracking defense-related statistics of 145 nations. Countries were ranked by the number of military submarines in active service, and only countries with more than five submarines were considered for the list. Data regarding total naval fleet size and the most common classes of submarines came from The World Directory of Modern Military Warships. We also added the GlobalFirePower PowerIndex score, which denotes a country’s overall military strength, with lower scores denoting greater power. Military expenditure data for 2022 came from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Military Expenditure Database.
Although the United States is known for having the most powerful military on the planet, it does not have the most submarines. Quality over quantity seems to be the motto, as many of the submarines are nuclear-powered and the U.S. has invested heavily in technological innovation and upkeep, ensuring its submarines are amongst the most advanced globally. Take a look at the U.S. Navy’s newest ships and submarines.
China, with its notable strides in military enhancement in recent years, has the most submarines, at 78. China’s fleet showcases a broad spectrum of diesel-electric and nuclear-powered submarines. The majority of its submarines are domestically produced, incorporating Chinese technological advancements. Here are the most common ships and submarines in the Chinese navy.
Notably, the countries with the stronger GlobalFirePower PowerIndex scores (scores closer to zero) tend to have more submarines. And not surprising, countries that have higher military expenditures tend to have more submarines.
Here is a look at the countries with the most military submarines.
22. Algeria
Source: Courtesy of Algerian Naval Force via Facebook
- Number of submarines in active service: 6 (tied)
- Total naval fleet size: 201 – #15 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.3911 – #26 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $9,145.81 million – #26 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Project 636, Project 877
21. Australia
Source: moisseyev / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Number of submarines in active service: 6 (tied)
- Total naval fleet size: 43 – #59 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2567 – #16 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $32,298.92 million – #13 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Collins-class
20. Germany
- Number of submarines in active service: 6 (tied)
- Total naval fleet size: 80 – #40 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.3881 – #25 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $55,759.75 million – #7 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Type 212-class
19. Norway
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number of submarines in active service: 6 (tied)
- Total naval fleet size: 48 – #53 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.5289 – #35 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $8,388.36 million – #29 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Ula-class
18. Peru
- Number of submarines in active service: 6 (tied)
- Total naval fleet size: 63 – #46 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.8466 – #53 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $2,845.43 million – #55 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Type 209/1200-class
17. Vietnam
- Number of submarines in active service: 6 (tied)
- Total naval fleet size: 109 – #33 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2855 – #19 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): N/A
- Submarines in fleet: Kilo-class
16. Brazil
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number of submarines in active service: 7
- Total naval fleet size: 112 – #30 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2151 – #12 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $20,210.78 million – #17 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Tupi-class, Scorpene-class
15. Egypt
- Number of submarines in active service: 8 (tied)
- Total naval fleet size: 245 – #13 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2224 – #14 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $4,645.922 million – #46 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Romeo-class, Type 209-class
14. Italy
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number of submarines in active service: 8 (tied)
- Total naval fleet size: 313 – #7 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1973 – #10 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $33,489.7 million – #12 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Todaro-class, Sauro-class
13. France
Source: dennisvdw / iStock via Getty Images
- Number of submarines in active service: 9 (tied)
- Total naval fleet size: 126 – #23 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1848 – #9 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $53,638.75 million – #8 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Rubis-class, Barracuda-class, Triomphant-class
12. Pakistan
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number of submarines in active service: 9 (tied)
- Total naval fleet size: 114 – #28 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1694 – #7 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $10,337.48 million – #24 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Agosta 90-class, Agosta 70-class, Cosmos-class
11. United Kingdom
Source: Sitikka / iStock via Getty Images
- Number of submarines in active service: 10
- Total naval fleet size: 73 – #43 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1435 – #5 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $68,462.58 million – #6 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Vanguard-class, Astute-class, Trafalgar-class
10. Greece
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number of submarines in active service: 11
- Total naval fleet size: 120 – #26 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.4621 – #30 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $8,104.85 million – #31 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Glavkos-class, Poseidon-class, Okeanos-class, Papanikolis-class
9. Turkey
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number of submarines in active service: 12
- Total naval fleet size: 154 – #21 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2016 – #11 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $10,644.58 million – #23 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Atilay-class, Preveze-class, Gur-class
8. India
Source: vale_t / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Number of submarines in active service: 18
- Total naval fleet size: 295 – #8 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1025 – #4 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $81,363.19 million – #4 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Arihant-class, Kalvari-class, Singhughosh-class, Shishumar-class
7. Iran
- Number of submarines in active service: 19
- Total naval fleet size: 101 – #34 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2712 – #17 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $6,846.597 million – #34 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Kilo-class, Fateh-class, Ghadir-class
6. Japan
- Number of submarines in active service: 21
- Total naval fleet size: 155 – #20 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1711 – #8 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $45,992.09 million – #10 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Taigei-class, Soryu-class, Oyashio-class
5. South Korea
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number of submarines in active service: 22
- Total naval fleet size: 157 – #19 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1505 – #6 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $46,365.42 million – #9 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Sohn Wonyil-class, Chang Bogo-class
4. North Korea
Source: JohnCrux / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Number of submarines in active service: 35
- Total naval fleet size: 519 – #3 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.5118 – #34 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): N/A
- Submarines in fleet: Simpo-class, Sango-class, Yono-class, Type 033-class
3. United States
Source: michaelbwatkins / iStock via Getty Images
- Number of submarines in active service: 68
- Total naval fleet size: 484 – #4 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.0712 – #1 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $876,943.2 million – #1 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Ohio-class, Seawolf-class, Los Angeles-class, Virginia-class
2. Russia
Source: Serega / iStock via Getty Images
- Number of submarines in active service: 70
- Total naval fleet size: 598 – #2 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.0714 – #2 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $86,373.1 million – #3 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Typhoon-class,Borey-class, Victor-class, Akula-class
1. China
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number of submarines in active service: 78
- Total naval fleet size: 730 – #1 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.0722 – #3 most powerful out of 145
- Military expenditure (2022): $291,958.4 million – #2 out of 172
- Submarines in fleet: Jin-class, Shang-class, Han-class, Yuan-class
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