24/7 Wall St. Insights
- We used data from a 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower
- Iceland is the only NATO country without a military
- Also, 2 Dividend Legends To Hold Forever
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, more familiarly known as NATO, is an organization currently comprised of 32 countries and formed following World War II. The group promotes democracy and provides collective defense for all member countries. Sweden is the newest country to join the organization, and with its membership, Sweden brings additional military might to the group. They may not possess the largest or most advanced military, but Sweden’s navy is modern and capable.
Although the country does not have any aircraft carriers, it does have one of the largest fleets of patrol vessels in the world and a handful of submarines and corvette-class warships.
To identify the NATO countries with the most military ships and submarines, 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.
There is one country in NATO that has no military and thus no navy, and that country is Iceland. This nation never established a naval force; however, it does have a Coast Guard with patrol vessels and helicopters that perform defense and maritime security duties. Without a formal navy, Iceland relies on the collective defense guarantee should any need arise. A few other countries in NATO are completely landlocked and have no need for a navy as well.
*It should be noted that Global Firepower’s broad vessel count includes tiny patrol craft and auxiliary boats, which may inflate figures and overstate size or effectiveness.
This post was updated on September 3, 2025 to clarify Iceland’s Coast Guard, Italy’s naval capabilities, and the tendency of Global Firepower to over inflate based on small craft.
Why This Matters
There are a number of formidable navies within NATO, not just Sweden. The United States is by far considered the strongest naval power in the world, boasting 11 aircraft carriers. Italy ranks high as well, though many of its 309 ships are small patrol craft. It actually operates fewer than 70 major warships.
Here is a look at the NATO countries with the most military ships and submarines:
32. Iceland
- Total ships and submarines: 0
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: Iceland employs patrol vessels as part of its Coast Guard
- Military strength score: 3.5038 – #136 out of 145
31. North Macedonia
- Total ships and submarines: 0
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 0
- Military strength score: 2.1717 – #110 out of 145
30. Luxembourg
- Total ships and submarines: 0
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 0
- Military strength score: 2.1458 – #109 out of 145
29. Slovakia
- Total ships and submarines: 0
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 0
- Military strength score: 1.1891 – #69 out of 145
28. Hungary
- Total ships and submarines: 0
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 0
- Military strength score: 0.8478 – #54 out of 145
27. Czechia
- Total ships and submarines: 0
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 0
- Military strength score: 0.7706 – #46 out of 145
26. Slovenia
- Total ships and submarines: 2
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 2
- Military strength score: 1.8286 – #91 out of 145
25. Belgium
- Total ships and submarines: 9
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 2
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 2
- Military strength score: 1.2064 – #70 out of 145
24. Estonia
- Total ships and submarines: 10
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 6
- Military strength score: 1.7237 – #87 out of 145
23. Lithuania
- Total ships and submarines: 11
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 4
- Military strength score: 1.7395 – #88 out of 145
22. Montenegro
- Total ships and submarines: 13
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 5
- Military strength score: 2.9109 – #129 out of 145
21. Latvia
- Total ships and submarines: 18
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 11
- Military strength score: 1.9911 – #99 out of 145
20. Albania
- Total ships and submarines: 19
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 19
- Military strength score: 1.8188 – #90 out of 145
19. Romania
- Total ships and submarines: 20
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 7
- Frigates: 3
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 3
- Military strength score: 0.7712 – #47 out of 145
18. Norway
- Total ships and submarines: 25
- Total submarines: 6
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 6
- Frigates: 4
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 17
- Military strength score: 0.5664 – #41 out of 145
17. Croatia
- Total ships and submarines: 32
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 10
- Military strength score: 1.1333 – #66 out of 145
16. Bulgaria
- Total ships and submarines: 40
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 3
- Frigates: 4
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 2
- Military strength score: 1.0132 – #62 out of 145
15. Poland
- Total ships and submarines: 45
- Total submarines: 1
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 2
- Frigates: 2
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 3
- Military strength score: 0.2917 – #21 out of 145
14. Germany
- Total ships and submarines: 64
- Total submarines: 6
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 5
- Frigates: 12
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 0
- Military strength score: 0.2847 – #19 out of 145
13. Canada
- Total ships and submarines: 67
- Total submarines: 4
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 12
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 14
- Military strength score: 0.3813 – #27 out of 145
12. Denmark
- Total ships and submarines: 91
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 9
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 45
- Military strength score: 0.7743 – #48 out of 145
11. Netherlands
- Total ships and submarines: 112
- Total submarines: 3
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 6
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 4
- Military strength score: 0.5644 – #40 out of 145
10. Portugal
- Total ships and submarines: 113
- Total submarines: 2
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 2
- Frigates: 5
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 20
- Military strength score: 0.5609 – #38 out of 145
9. United Kingdom
- Total ships and submarines: 117
- Total submarines: 10
- Aircraft carriers: 2
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 11
- Destroyers: 6
- Patrol vessels: 26
- Military strength score: 0.1443 – #6 out of 145
8. France
- Total ships and submarines: 128
- Total submarines: 9
- Aircraft carriers: 1
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 11
- Destroyers: 10
- Patrol vessels: 15
- Military strength score: 0.1878 – #11 out of 145
7. Spain
- Total ships and submarines: 168
- Total submarines: 3
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 11
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 23
- Military strength score: 0.2882 – #20 out of 145
6. Turkey
- Total ships and submarines: 186
- Total submarines: 12
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 9
- Frigates: 16
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 34
- Military strength score: 0.1697 – #8 out of 145
5. Greece
- Total ships and submarines: 187
- Total submarines: 11
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 13
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 35
- Military strength score: 0.4349 – #32 out of 145
4. Finland
- Total ships and submarines: 246 (mainly missile boats, minelayers, and auxiliaries)
- Total submarines: 0
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 8
- Military strength score: 0.7967 – #50 out of 145
3. Italy
- Total ships and submarines: 309
- Total submarines: 8
- Aircraft carriers: 2
- Corvettes: 0
- Frigates: 13
- Destroyers: 4
- Patrol vessels: 18
- Military strength score: 0.1863 – #10 out of 145
2. Sweden
- Total ships and submarines: 353
- Total submarines: 5
- Aircraft carriers: 0
- Corvettes: 7
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 0
- Patrol vessels: 298
- Military strength score: 0.4009 – #29 out of 145
1. United States
- Total ships and submarines: 290-300
- Total submarines: 64
- Aircraft carriers: 11
- Corvettes: 23
- Frigates: 0
- Destroyers: 75
- Patrol vessels: 5
- Military strength score: 0.0699 – #1 out of 145
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