The Chinese shipbuilding industry currently has its orderbooks filled for the next three to four years, operating at full production capacity.
According to date from China Ministry of Industry and Information, China has maintained its position as the world’s first shipbuilding nation in terms of newly-received orders, orderbook-on-hand, and completed tonnage for 2025.
From January to December 2025, China’s shipbuilding output reached 53.69m dwt, an increase of 11.4% year-on-year, accounting for 56.1% of the global total.
New orders amounted to 107.82m dwt, a decrease of 4.6% year-on-year, making up 69.0% of the world’s total. By the end of December, the orders-on-hand stood at 274.42m dwt, a growth of 31.5% year-on-year, representing 66.8% of the global share.
All three major shipbuilding indicators have maintained the world’s leading position in international market share for 16 consecutive years.
Li Yanqing, vice president of the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry, said: “In 2025, China’s shipbuilding industry delivered remarkable results, with all three key performance indicators surpassing expectations. The market is projected to maintain relatively stable growth going forward. Therefore, it is essential for China’s shipbuilding sector to continue capitalising on market opportunities, securing orders proactively, and guaranteeing on-time vessel deliveries.”
China’s leading shipbuilding enterprises saw their global competitiveness continue to strengthen in 2025, with six domestic shipyards securing positions among the world’s top ten across three key metrics: shipbuilding output, new orders received, and orders-on-hand.
Among the 18 major ship types, China earned the largest share of new orders in 16 categories. A number of world-class green and intelligent vessels were delivered as China pursues a high-end transformation of the shipbuilding industry.
