While battleships once epitomized a nation’s maritime supremacy, with the size, weaponry, and armor to win control over a body of water, their prominence came to an end during the Second World War, with the emergence of aircraft carriers as the most important naval vessel in any fleet. (These are The US Navy’s Newest Ships and Submarines.)
The first nation to build a true aircraft carrier was the United Kingdom, called the HMS Argus. This early carrier was constructed on a converted merchant ship hull during World War I but the war concluded before the Argus could be used. The United States and Japan quickly followed suit, developing their own carriers, the USS Langley and the Hosyo, respectively. It was at the early start of WWII that aircraft carriers first made their appearance.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed the defense statistics website GlobalFirepower’s Aircraft Carrier Fleet Strength by Country (2023) dataset (with information about 145 countries’ militaries) to determine the aircraft carrier fleets of the world’s major powers. We ranked countries by the number of aircraft carriers they have in service. Although Japan is not listed as having aircraft carriers, their heli carriers have been converted as such and are included in this listing.
Data on notable aircraft carriers in each country’s arsenal and on carriers in development came from the Military Factory. Data on total military spending and military spending as a percentage of gross domestic product came from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s Military Expenditure Database.
The vulnerability of the battleship was demonstrated by Col. Billy Mitchell, a strong advocate of airpower who sunk the German battleship Ostfriesland in 1921. The Navy took notice and began building aircraft carriers. It was America’s good fortune that its carriers were out at sea when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. Those carriers bore the attack planes that routed the Imperial Japanese Navy at Midway six months later.
After World War II, the United States inherited the mantle of the world’s most powerful navy from the Royal Navy (U.K.). Today, its 11 aircraft carriers are more than the next five nations combined. After the U.S., China has the most aircraft carriers. Also read: This Vietnam-Era Warship Is the Oldest US Military Vessel Still in Operation.
Here are the aircraft carrier fleets of the world’s major powers, ranked.
8. Russia
- Number of aircraft carriers: 1 (tied)
- Notable carrier(s): Admiral Kuznetsov
- Carriers in development: TASS
- Fleet size: 598 — #2 highest of 145
- Military spending, 2021: $65.9 billion — #5 highest of 145
- Military spending as pct. of GDP: 4.1% — #11 most of 145
7. France
- Number of aircraft carriers: 1 (tied)
- Notable carrier(s): Charles de Gaulle
- Carriers in development: Porte-avions de nouvelle generation (PA-NG)
- Fleet size: 126 — #23 highest of 145
- Military spending, 2021: $56.6 billion — #6 highest of 145
- Military spending as pct. of GDP: 1.9% — #52 most of 145
6. Japan
- Number of aircraft carriers: 2 (tied)
- Notable carrier(s): Izumo, Kaga
- Carriers in development: None
- Fleet size: 155 — #7 highest of 145
- Military spending, 2021: $51.7 billion — #8 highest of 145
- Military spending as pct. of GDP: 1% — # most of 145
5. United Kingdom
- Number of aircraft carriers: 2 (tied)
- Notable carrier(s): HMS Queen Elizabeth, HMS Prince of Wales
- Carriers in development: HMS Princess Diana
- Fleet size: 73 — #43 highest of 145
- Military spending, 2021: $68.4 billion — #4 highest of 145
- Military spending as pct. of GDP: 2.2% — #40 most of 145
4. Italy
- Number of aircraft carriers: 2 (tied)
- Notable carrier(s): Cavour, Giuseppe Garibaldi
- Carriers in development: Trieste
- Fleet size: 313 — #7 highest of 145
- Military spending, 2021: $32.0 billion — #11 highest of 145
- Military spending as pct. of GDP: 1.5% — #75 most of 145
3. India
- Number of aircraft carriers: 2 (tied)
- Notable carrier(s): INS Vikramaditya, INS Vikrant
- Carriers in development: INS Vishal
- Fleet size: 295 — #8 highest of 145
- Military spending, 2021: $76.6 billion — #3 highest of 145
- Military spending as pct. of GDP: 2.7% — #30 most of 145
2. China
- Number of aircraft carriers: 3
- Notable carrier(s): Liaoning, Shandong, Fujian
- Carriers in development: Type 004
- Fleet size: 730 — #1 highest of 145
- Military spending, 2021: $293.4 billion — #2 highest of 145
- Military spending as pct. of GDP: 1.7% — #63 most of 145
1. United States
- Number of aircraft carriers: 11
- Notable carrier(s): USS Gerald R. Ford, USS George H. W. Bush
- Carriers in development: USS John F. Kennedy, USS Enterprise, USS Doris Miller
- Fleet size: 484 — #4 highest of 145
- Military spending, 2021: $800.7 billion — #1 highest of 145
- Military spending as pct. of GDP: 3.5% — #15 most of 145
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