China Shipbuilding by Year, 2000–2025 (vs World)
Shipbuilding completions comparison. China builds 45%+ of global ships.
Quick Answer
China built 23 million CGT of ships in 2025, 52.5% of global output. From 13.2% in 2000, China became the world's largest shipbuilder. China builds over half of global ships. Data from Clarksons covers 2000-2025.
Explore commercial vessel trade
Shipbuilding completions and orders use different timing and units from customs shipments. These trade pages cover specified commercial vessels, not the entire shipbuilding industry.
Cruise ships, cargo vessels, boats trade data (HS 8901) — Explore passenger and cargo vessels within this commercial-vessel heading.
Vessels for the transport of goods and other vessels trade data (HS 890190) — Focus on other goods-transport and mixed passenger-and-goods vessels; tankers have a separate line.
Data table
Data table
Showing all 4 observations from 2000 to 2025.
| Period | China | World total | World minus china | China share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.4 | 25.8 | 22.4 | 13.2 |
| 2010 | 15.2 | 35.8 | 20.6 | 42.5 |
| 2020 | 21.5 | 40.5 | 19.0 | 53.1 |
| 2025 | 23.0 | 43.8 | 20.8 | 52.5 |
About This Dataset
Shipbuilding completions comparison. China builds 45%+ of global ships.
The latest row (2025) reports China: 23 Million CGT and world total: 43.8 Million CGT.The dataset spans 4 data points from 2000 to 2025, updated yearly.
API
curl https://chinadata.live/api/v2/data/shipbuilding-china-vs-world 📚 How to Cite This Data
Citation Format:
China Data Portal (2026). Shipbuilding: China vs World. Retrieved from https://chinadata.live/data/shipbuilding-china-vs-world/
Primary Source:
Clarksons Research
Data as of:
2025
API Access:
GET https://chinadata.live/api/v2/data/shipbuilding-china-vs-world Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Shipbuilding: China vs World dataset report for 2025?
The latest row (2025) reports China: 23 Million CGT and world total: 43.8 Million CGT. This dataset includes 4 data points covering 2000 to 2025.
Where does Shipbuilding: China vs World data come from?
Shipbuilding: China vs World data is sourced from Clarksons Research and structured by China Data Portal for charting, CSV download, and API access.
Where can I download Shipbuilding: China vs World data?
You can download Shipbuilding: China vs World data from China Data Portal via our free API at https://chinadata.live/api/v2/data/shipbuilding-china-vs-world. Data is available in JSON and CSV formats.
What is the data range for Shipbuilding: China vs World?
The Shipbuilding: China vs World dataset covers 2000 to 2025, with 4 data points. Data source: Clarksons Research.