24/7 Wall St. Insights
- The African continent is not home to many countries known for their navies
- A few African countries truly stand out in terms of their naval forces
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Navies have been an important part of defense since the forming of our earliest civilizations. The Portuguese Navy is the oldest continually serving navy in the world. It dates back to the Middle Ages, having formed in the 12th century. However, as far back as the 6th century BC, the Persians were using Phoenician, Greek, and Egyptian ships for war.
The African continent is not home to many countries known for their navies. Only a handful of nations (Egypt, Algeria, South Africa, sometimes Morocco or Nigeria) are often ranked among the top 30–40 globally.
To identify the African countries with the strongest naval forces, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Countries were ranked on the total number of military ships and submarines in their fleet. We included supplemental information regarding submarines, aircraft carriers, destroyers, corvettes, patrol vessels, and frigates, as well as each country’s overall military strength score. We excluded countries that did not have any naval vessels.
Most African naval fleets are primarily comprised of patrol vessels. Much of this is involved in securing local trade routes against foreign powers or pirates. However, not many of these nations are home to the large ships seen in the Russian or American navies. As previously mentioned, much of Africa’s military priorities tend to be inwardly focused and naval power does not buy as much overall military strength as aircraft or tanks.
Despite this general consensus across the continent, there are a few countries that truly stand out in terms of their naval forces. Egypt, for one, is home to a couple helicopter carriers. These carriers are valuable assets that are able to project power via the attack helicopters they house. But Egypt’s naval strength rests more on frigates, corvettes, submarines, and U.S./European support. Also, Egypt’s incredible naval power is largely due to the fact that it controls the Suez Canal, which is one of the most trafficked routes on the planet.
This post was updated to clarify vessel numbers in Cameroon, Tunisia, Nigeria, and Egypt, as well as provide more context for the history of Persia’s navy.
Why Are We Covering This?
Understanding the military dynamics of Africa is important due to the continent’s strategic geopolitical significance. The continent is known for some instability, and military power is one way of ensuring control, both political and economic. Many of these African nations are growing rapidly and the continued stability of this region is crucial.
Here is a look at the African countries with the largest navies:
27. Mauritania
- Total naval vessels: 5
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 3
- Military strength score: 2.9277 – #131 out of 145
26. Gabon
- Total naval vessels: 5
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 4
- Military strength score: 2.9517 – #132 out of 145
25. Republic of the Congo
- Total naval vessels: 6
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 6
- Military strength score: 2.7282 – #122 out of 145
24. Liberia
- Total naval vessels: 6
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 6
- Military strength score: 3.7262 – #140 out of 145
23. Libya
- Total naval vessels: 7
- Frigates: 1
- Corvettes: 1
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 1
- Mine warfare: 2
- Military strength score: 1.4449 – #79 out of 145
22. Ivory Coast
- Total naval vessels: 7
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 6
- Military strength score: 1.9869 – #98 out of 145
21. Benin
- Total naval vessels: 7
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 7
- Military strength score: 3.8912 – #141 out of 145
20. Mozambique
- Total naval vessels: 8
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 8
- Military strength score: 1.8377 – #92 out of 145
19. Namibia
- Total naval vessels: 8
- Corvettes: 2
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 5
- Military strength score: 2.7652 – #124 out of 145
18. Madagascar
- Total naval vessels: 9
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 9
- Military strength score: 3.0655 – #133 out of 145
17. Senegal
- Total naval vessels: 10
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 10
- Military strength score: 2.9117 – #130 out of 145
16. Sierra Leone
- Total naval vessels: 10
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 7
- Military strength score: 3.5433 – #138 out of 145
15. Somalia
- Total naval vessels: 11
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 11
- Military strength score: 3.9006 – #142 out of 145
14. Sudan
- Total naval vessels: 12
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 10
- Military strength score: 1.4119 – #76 out of 145
13. Tanzania
- Total naval vessels: 12
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 10
- Military strength score: 2.0587 – #103 out of 145
12. Democratic Republic of Congo
- Total naval vessels: 16
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 16
- Military strength score: 1.2491 – #73 out of 145
11. Kenya
- Total naval vessels: 19
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 7
- Military strength score: 1.7629 – #89 out of 145
10. Eritrea
- Total naval vessels: 23
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 18
- Military strength score: 2.4152 – #117 out of 145
9. Ghana
- Total naval vessels: 27
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 27
- Military strength score: 2.2358 – #113 out of 145
8. Angola
- Total naval vessels: 40
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 38
- Mine warfare: 2
- Military strength score: 0.8702 – #55 out of 145
7. South Africa
- Total naval vessels: 47
- Frigates: 4
- Submarines: 3
- Patrol vessels: 31
- Mine warfare: 2
- Military strength score: 0.4632 – #33 out of 145
6. Tunisia
- Total naval vessels: 52
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 25-30
- Military strength score: 1.2881 – #74 out of 145
5. Cameroon
- Total naval vessels: 65 (fewer than 15 combat-capable ships)
- Frigates and corvettes: 0
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 37
- Military strength score: 2.0599 – #104 out of 145
4. Morocco
- Total naval vessels: 121
- Frigates: 6
- Corvettes: 1
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: 22
- Military strength score: 1.0081 – #61 out of 145
3. Nigeria
- Total naval vessels: 133
- Frigates: 1
- Submarines: 0
- Patrol vessels: fewer than 30 active patrol craft
- Mine warfare: 2
- Military strength score: 0.5619 – #39 out of 145
2. Egypt
- Total naval vessels: 140
- Frigates: 13
- Corvettes: 7
- Submarines: 8
- Patrol vessels: 42
- Mine warfare: 4-7
- Helicopter carriers: 2
- Military strength score: 0.2283 – #15 out of 145
1. Algeria
- Total naval vessels: 213
- Frigates: 8
- Corvettes: 16
- Submarines: 6
- Patrol vessels: 75
- Mine warfare: 3
- Military strength score: 0.3589 – #26 out of 145
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