The USS Newport News (SSN 750), an American nuclear submarine, made a July 9 port call in Reykjavik. The event marked Iceland’s first visit by an American nuclear-equipped submersible, and highlights Iceland’s importance in the Arctic region. As Russian undersea activity increases, the arrival of the U.S. sub was a strategic move on NATO’s part. The port call both reassures allies and demonstrates U.S. naval reach.
The first employed submarine, the Turtle, attacked the HMS Eagle in New York Harbor in 1776. Over 100 years later, in 1900, the United States Navy commissioned its first military submarine. Since that time, submarines have come a long way.
Modern submarines are state-of-the-art, acting as submersible homes to sailors for months at a time, only surfacing for supplies. These underwater vessels are capable of several kinds of missions, including anti-surface, intelligence gathering, reconnaissance, and Special Forces support. When it comes to our nation’s defense, submarines are vital.
Submarines are some of the most important military assets among countries that possess them. Throughout naval arsenals around the world, subs act as a strategic deterrence to encroaching foreign ships. On the world stage, these submarines could easily shift the balance of power in one swift attack, as some carry nuclear warheads capable of hitting targets thousands of miles away.
To determine the country with the most military 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 four or more submarines were considered for the list. We also added the GlobalFirePower PowerIndex score, which denotes a country’s overall military strength, with lower scores denoting greater power. We included supplemental information regarding total naval fleet size per country and the types of submarines in each fleet.
While the United States is widely regarded as having one of the strongest navies in the world, it does not in fact have the most submarines in its arsenal. However, what it does have is some of the most technologically advanced submarines on the planet, making it a formidable naval force for any rival nation.
It’s worth noting that the countries that have the stronger GlobalFirePower PowerIndex scores (scores closer to zero) tend to have more submarines. And unsurprisingly, countries with larger military budgets often have a higher number of submarines.
This post was updated on July 22, 2025 to include information on USS Newport News’ port of call in Reykjavik.
Why We Are Covering This
America’s military vehicles are some of the most effective in the world. The U.S. is home to a huge fleet of warcraft, including tanks, aircraft carriers, fighter jets, and modern submarines, which are perhaps the most impressive of these American vessels. The U.S.A. continues to enhance its submersibles, most recently with its next-generation attack submarine, the Virginia (SSN 774). Along with numerous features, this formidable sub boasts an optimal layout and two photonics masts with infrared cameras.
Here is a look at the countries with the most military submarines:
30. Peru
- Number of submarines in active service: 4
- Total naval fleet size: 69 – #43 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.8475 – #53 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Type 209/1200-class
29. Chile
- Number of submarines in active service: 4
- Total naval fleet size: 130 – #24 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.8128 – #52 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Scorpene-class, U-209-class
28. Colombia
- Number of submarines in active service: 4
- Total naval fleet size: 237 – #12 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.7347 – #44 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Type 209/1200, Type 206
27. Canada
- Number of submarines in active service: 4
- Total naval fleet size: 67 – #47 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.3813 – #27 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Victoria-class
26. Taiwan
- Number of submarines in active service: 4
- Total naval fleet size: 93 – #39 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.3302 – #24 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Guppy-class, Hai Lung-class
25. Indonesia
- Number of submarines in active service: 4
- Total naval fleet size: 333 – #6 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2251 – #13 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Cakra-class, Nagapasa-class
24. Brazil
- Number of submarines in active service: 4
- Total naval fleet size: 134 – #22 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1944 – #12 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Tupi-class, Scorpene-class
23. Sweden
- Number of submarines in active service: 5
- Total naval fleet size: 353 – #5 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.4009 – #29 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Abborren-class, Hajen-class
22. Israel
- Number of submarines in active service: 5
- Total naval fleet size: 67 – #46 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2596 – #17 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Dolphin-class, AIP Dolphin 2 class
21. Norway
- Number of submarines in active service: 6
- Total naval fleet size: 25 – #71 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.5664 – #41 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Ula-class
20. Algeria
- Number of submarines in active service: 6
- Total naval fleet size: 213 – #14 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.3589 – #26 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Project 636, Project 877
19. Vietnam
- Number of submarines in active service: 6
- Total naval fleet size: 97 – #37 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.3158 – #22 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Kilo-class
18. Germany
- Number of submarines in active service: 6
- Total naval fleet size: 64 – #49 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2847 – #19 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Type 212-class
17. Australia
- Number of submarines in active service: 6
- Total naval fleet size: 43 – #59 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2515 – #16 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Collins-class
16. Singapore
- Number of submarines in active service: 7
- Total naval fleet size: 43 – #58 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.4087 – #30 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Archer-class, Challenger-class
15. Egypt
- Number of submarines in active service: 8
- Total naval fleet size: 140 – #21 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2283 – #15 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Romeo-class, Type 209-class
14. Italy
- Number of submarines in active service: 8
- Total naval fleet size: 309 – #7 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1863 – #10 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Todaro-class, Sauro-class
13. Pakistan
- Number of submarines in active service: 8
- Total naval fleet size: 114 – #31 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1711 – #9 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Agosta 90-class, Agosta 70-class, Cosmos-class
12. France
- Number of submarines in active service: 9
- Total naval fleet size: 128 – #25 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1878 – #11 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Rubis-class, Barracuda-class, Triomphant-class
11. United Kingdom
- Number of submarines in active service: 10
- Total naval fleet size: 117 – #29 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1443 – #6 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Vanguard-class, Astute-class, Trafalgar-class
10. Greece
- Number of submarines in active service: 11
- Total naval fleet size: 187 – #17 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.4349 – #32 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Glavkos-class, Poseidon-class, Okeanos-class, Papanikolis-class
9. Turkey
- Number of submarines in active service: 12
- Total naval fleet size: 186 – #18 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1697 – #8 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Atilay-class, Preveze-class, Gur-class
8. India
- Number of submarines in active service: 18
- Total naval fleet size: 294 – #8 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1023 – #4 most powerful out of 145
- 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 – #36 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2269 – #14 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Kilo-class, Fateh-class, Ghadir-class
6. South Korea
- Number of submarines in active service: 22
- Total naval fleet size: 200 – #15 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1416 – #5 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Sohn Wonyil-class, Chang Bogo-class
5. Japan
- Number of submarines in active service: 23
- Total naval fleet size: 155 – #20 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1601 – #7 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Taigei-class, Soryu-class, Oyashio-class
4. North Korea
- Number of submarines in active service: 35
- Total naval fleet size: 505 – #3 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.5313 – #36 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Simpo-class, Sango-class, Yono-class, Type 033-class
3. China
- Number of submarines in active service: 61
- Total naval fleet size: 730 – #2 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.0706 – #3 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Jin-class, Shang-class, Han-class, Yuan-class
2. United States
- Number of submarines in active service: 64
- Total naval fleet size: 472 – #4 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.0699 – #1 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Ohio-class, Seawolf-class, Los Angeles-class, Virginia-class
1. Russia
- Number of submarines in active service: 65
- Total naval fleet size: 781 – #1 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.0702 – #2 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Typhoon-class, Borey-class, Victor-class, Akula-class
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