Navy comparison: 
United Kingdom vs 
Italy
Italy's 314-ship navy outnumbers United Kingdom's 154 vessels (2.0:1 advantage). Of these, 60 and 313 are in active service respectively.
SEAS (Sea Equipment Aggregate Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
United KingdomWorld #12
36.5
SEAS Index / 100
United Kingdom leads on 4 of 7 categories
ItalyWorld #14
32.4
United Kingdom
Italy
Bars: weighted contribution to the SEAS Index (hulls × category weight) · figures: active hulls at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
| United Kingdom | Italy | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official name | Royal Navy | Italian Navy | |
| Total ships | 154 | 314 | 🇮🇹 2.0× |
| Active ships | 60 | 313 | 🇮🇹 5.2× |
| On order / planned | 16 | 0 | 🇬🇧 |
| Submarines | 10 | 8 | 🇬🇧 1.2× |
| Principal surface combatants | 11 | 12 | 🇮🇹 1.1× |
| Aircraft carriers | 2 | 1 | 🇬🇧 2.0× |
| Amphibious ships | 0 | 4 | 🇮🇹 |
Show full breakdown · 3 more rowsHide the 3 extra rows
| Patrol boats | 26 | 19 | 🇬🇧 1.4× |
| Mine warfare | 7 | 10 | 🇮🇹 1.4× |
| Auxiliaries | 4 | 259 | 🇮🇹 65× |
Backbone classes one per tier held
Analyst Assessment
Run the wargame simulation →Verdict
Edge: United Kingdom
The United Kingdom holds the overall edge over Italy: two 65,000-tonne Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, a nuclear submarine force of six Astute SSNs and four Vanguard SSBNs, and a nine-site basing network outweigh Italy's larger but lighter fleet. Italy is competitive in escort numbers and clearly ahead in amphibious and mine-warfare capacity, but its reach is essentially Mediterranean.
Domain by domain
Carriers & naval aviation
Edge: United Kingdom
🇬🇧 United KingdomTwo Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, roughly 65,000 t each, operating F-35B air groups from a full-length flight deck; the core of UK carrier strike doctrine and the largest hulls in the comparison.
🇮🇹 ItalyOne Cavour-class carrier of roughly 27,000 t, F-35B-capable but with a far smaller air group; useful sea control and expeditionary air, not sustained strike at UK scale.
Submarines
Edge: United Kingdom
🇬🇧 United KingdomTen boats: six Astute-class nuclear attack submarines with Tomahawk and unlimited endurance, plus four Vanguard SSBNs on continuous deterrent patrol; four Dreadnought and one further Astute on order.
🇮🇹 ItalyEight conventionally powered boats, including four Nazario Sauro-class and AIP-equipped successors: quiet, well suited to Mediterranean and littoral ASW, but range- and endurance-limited against nuclear boats.
Surface combatants
Even
🇬🇧 United KingdomEleven principal escorts: six Daring-class (Type 45) destroyers with Sea Viper/Aster area air defence, and five ageing Duke-class frigates; six Type 26 and three Type 31 frigates on order to renew the force.
🇮🇹 ItalyTwelve principal escorts: ten modern FREMM frigates in ASW and general-purpose fits plus two Horizon-class destroyers sharing the Aster/PAAMS lineage — a newer, more homogeneous escort line with no visible orders logged.
Amphibious & expeditionary
Edge: Italy
🇬🇧 United KingdomNo dedicated amphibious hulls on file following the withdrawal of the landing platform docks; littoral strike now rests on carriers, auxiliaries and chartered or allied sealift rather than organic dock shipping.
🇮🇹 ItalyFour amphibious vessels, including three San Giorgio-class LPDs, supporting brigade-level landings with the naval infantry — a standing, organic expeditionary capability the Royal Navy currently lacks.
Bases & reach
Edge: United Kingdom
🇬🇧 United KingdomNine bases on file spanning Clyde, Devonport and Portsmouth plus Gibraltar, Bahrain, Duqm, Singapore and the South Atlantic — a forward network supporting persistent deployments beyond European waters.
🇮🇹 ItalyOne base on file, La Spezia, reflecting a fleet optimised for the Mediterranean and adjacent approaches; global operations depend on allied and coalition access rather than owned infrastructure.
Wildcards
- Hull counts are not comparable Italy's 314 ships include 108 support and 151 other craft, largely harbour tugs, launches and small auxiliaries. Excluding unscored hulls, the two combat fleets are of similar size, with the UK heavier per hull.
- Order book versus none Sixteen UK units are on order — six Type 26, three Type 31, four Dreadnought SSBNs, one Astute and two USVs — while no Italian orders appear on file, favouring the UK on medium-term regeneration.
- Nuclear propulsion and deterrence Continuous at-sea deterrence and nuclear-powered attack boats give the Royal Navy endurance and strategic weight Italy does not seek, but they absorb crews, refit capacity and budget that constrain the conventional escort force.
- Mediterranean auxiliary depth Italy's large auxiliary and mine-warfare tail — ten Gaeta-class-derived MCM hulls and over a hundred support craft — supports high tempo close to home, where geography shortens transits and reduces reliance on forward bases.
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Editorial assessment produced from the figures on this page and public sources; it is an informed reading, not a military assessment or a prediction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has more naval ships, United Kingdom or Italy?
Italy has a larger navy with 314 ships compared to United Kingdom's 154 ships.
Which navy has more submarines, United Kingdom or Italy?
United Kingdom operates more submarines with 15 compared to Italy's 8.
Which country has more aircraft carriers, United Kingdom or Italy?
United Kingdom has 2 aircraft carrier(s) compared to Italy's 1.
Which navy has more destroyers, United Kingdom or Italy?
United Kingdom operates 6 destroyers compared to Italy's 3.
Which navy has more frigates, United Kingdom or Italy?
United Kingdom operates 18 frigates compared to Italy's 10.
How do the United Kingdom and Italy navies compare in size?
Italy's navy is 2.0 times larger than United Kingdom's in terms of total ships (314 vs 154).