The global submarine industry is busier now than at any time since the Cold War. In the last five years, 16 countries have launched about 77 submarines, showing a big increase in undersea military spending. China stands out as the leader, building more submarines than any other country and quickly rolling out new designs.

China’s rapid submarine expansion sets it apart from traditional naval powers like the United States and Russia. Recent estimates show China has launched about 24 submarines since 2021, twice as many as Russia (12) and more than three times the U.S. total of seven.

Global submarine building reaches Cold War-era levels

Submarine building around the world is now at levels last seen in the 1980s. Unlike during the Cold War, production is spread across more countries rather than concentrated in a few major powers.

Out of the 77 submarines launched since 2021, 33 are nuclear-powered and were built by six countries: China, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and India. Other countries are starting nuclear submarine programs, too. Brazil and North Korea are building nuclear submarines now, and South Korea and Australia plan to have their own nuclear-powered fleets in the future.

More countries are building submarines as part of a bigger change in naval strategy. Submarines are now seen as key for deterrence, intelligence, and maritime security. Because of this, building submarines is no longer limited to traditional naval powers and is spreading to new defense markets.

China’s development pace outstrips competitors

China’s lead is not just about how many submarines it builds. It is also introducing new submarine designs much faster than other countries.

In the past five years, China has added seven new submarine classes to its fleet. In contrast, Russia launched just one new class, the Khabarovsk, which took over 11 years to build. The United States has only built more submarines from its existing Virginia-class program.

This does not mean each Chinese submarine is more advanced than those from other navies. Still, China’s rapid development and launch of new ideas show how quickly the submarine industry is changing.

China is also ahead in developing very large uncrewed underwater vehicles, called XXLUUVs. These are about the same size as regular crewed submarines. No other country is known to be building underwater drones this big.

Another important step is China’s work on nuclear-powered air-independent propulsion technology. The Type-041 Zhou-class submarine uses what is described as a small nuclear power plant, sometimes called nuclear-AIP.

Expansion of nuclear submarine production

China’s submarine strategy is increasingly centered on nuclear-powered vessels.

For years, the Huludao shipyard in northern China was the only place in the country building nuclear submarines. Now, two more shipyards along the Yangtze River—Wuchang in Wuhan and the JN yard in Shanghai—are also building them.

Wuchang is expected to build the Type-041 Zhou class, while the Shanghai yard has already launched a larger nuclear-powered attack submarine from a new class. Huludao launched an identical submarine just days later. There is still little information about the design, and it is not yet clear how it relates to the new Type-095 program.

With three shipyards now building nuclear submarines, China’s production capacity is set to grow a lot. Some estimates say China could soon launch about six nuclear submarines each year, which is about three times the U.S. target.

New export markets reshape the industry

China’s submarine industry is also building submarines for export. Recently, it built four Hangor-class submarines for Pakistan as part of a shared production deal.

Germany and France remain major submarine exporters, while Spain and South Korea are emerging as new players in the global market. More countries are also signing technology-transfer and local-manufacturing deals to help them build their own submarines.

In the future, the United States and the United Kingdom are expected to add new submarine classes. Still, current trends indicate that China will likely remain the main player in global submarine construction.

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