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Military RankingsยทNaval Forces

Aircraft Carriers by Country

Which country fields the most carriers? 8 navies ranked by documented in-service inventories.

Top 8 Countries

# Country Share Total
1 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States Top class ยท Nimitz 47.8% 11
2 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China Top class ยท Type 001 13.0% 3
3 ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Japan Top class ยท Izumo 8.7% 2
4 ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ India Top class ยท Vikramaditya 8.7% 2
5 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง United Kingdom Top class ยท Queen Elizabeth 8.7% 2
6 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ญ Thailand Top class ยท Chakri Narubet 4.3% 1
7 ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Italy Top class ยท Cavour 4.3% 1
8 ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท France Top class ยท Charles de Gaulle 4.3% 1
Regional Breakdown
Concentration
United States 47.8%China 13.0%Japan 8.7%India 8.7%United Kingdom 8.7%
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ 47.8%๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ 13.0%๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต 8.7%๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ 8.7%๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 8.7%Rest 13.1%
The top 10 operators hold 100.0% of the world total

About this Ranking

Aircraft carriers are the ultimate symbol of naval power projection, serving as mobile airbases that can deploy air power anywhere in the world’s oceans. Only a select few nations operate these complex and expensive vessels. This ranking tracks both fleet carriers and light carriers, including helicopter carriers with fixed-wing capability.