Where Data Tells the Story
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Aircraft carriers are the crown jewels of naval power. These are mobile airbases that project force far beyond a country’s shores. But only a small group of nations possess them, and even fewer operate multiple carriers.
This infographic visualizes the countries that currently maintain active aircraft carrier fleets, reflecting both military capability and global strategic reach.
The United States operates 11 aircraft carriers, one less than all other nations combined. These include the nuclear-powered Nimitz and Gerald R. Ford classes, enabling the U.S. to maintain a persistent global naval presence.
The U.S. not only leads in numbers but also in the technological sophistication of its aircraft carriers. This combination of quantity and cutting-edge capability places the U.S. far ahead of any other nation, making its carrier fleet unmatched in global power projection.
By comparison, the next largest operator is China, having 3 operational aircraft carriers, and a fourth one under construction, as part of a rapidly expanding naval modernization effort.
Beyond the U.S. and China, only a handful of nations have more than one active aircraft carrier. United Kingdom, Italy and India each operate 2 aircraft carriers.
Just three other countries operate a single aircraft carrier. France, Russia and Spain each operate 1 aircraft carrier.
Only eight countries in the world currently maintain aircraft carrier fleets. While other nations may possess powerful navies, the presence of aircraft carriers remains a defining feature of blue-water naval capability, and a symbol of strategic ambition on the global stage.