The list of all the world’s aircraft carriers, along with their respective owners, is visualized using data from various sources, with the USA leading.

Warships with a full-length flight deck for transporting, deploying, and recovering aircraft are known as aircraft carriers. They are typically the capital ships in a fleet because they enable naval forces to use air power without depending on nearby bases.

Bruno Venditti of Visual Capitalist has created a graphic that illustrates the number of aircraft carriers in operation by nation as of May 2024.

U.S. Dominance

With a total of 11 aircraft carriers, the United States possesses 40% of the world’s fleet. About 80 fighters can be accommodated on certain American carriers. The entire deck space of the nation is more than twice that of all other countries put together.

The United States is the only country having nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, along with France. These ships don’t need to refuel; they may stay at sea for as long as the crew has supplied.

It’s essential to recognize the evolving dynamics of naval power, as highlighted in recent reports.

As reported by GreatGameIndia, according to a paper released in the Chinese-language Journal of Test and Measurement Technology, there are claims that 24 Chinese hypersonic missiles possess the capability to sink a top U.S. aircraft carrier. Such advancements underscore the ongoing competition and technological race shaping modern maritime warfare.

Sea trials for China’s newest, biggest, and most sophisticated aircraft carrier, the Fujian, began in 2024. This ship moves the nation up to the second spot in our rating.

Six NATO members are among the 11 nations that have aircraft carriers in their fleets.