Countries by Merchant Fleet Size

What Merchant Fleet Size Measures

Number of merchant marine ships from the frozen public-domain CIA World Factbook snapshot.

Why This Ranking Matters

Examining Merchant Fleet Size across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.

Global Range

Values range from 1.00 count (Wallis and Futuna) to 11.4K count (Indonesia) — a 11.4K-fold difference across 187 countries.

Regional Patterns

Asian countries dominate this ranking, holding 10 of the top 20 positions. This strong regional concentration suggests shared economic, geographic, or policy factors that drive higher values across the continent.

The distribution is highly right-skewed — a few countries have exceptionally high values that pull the average well above the median. The median (94 count) is far more representative than the mean (553.98 count).

Notable Outliers

Indonesia holds a significant lead over China, with a 37% gap between first and second place. While several countries cluster near the top, the leader's margin is notable.

Continental Leaders

Asia

Indonesia

11.4K count

North America

Panama

8.2K count

Africa

Liberia

4.8K count

Oceania

Marshall Islands

4.2K count

Europe

Russia

2.9K count

South America

Brazil

888 count

Antarctica

French Southern Territories

2.00 count