Number of General Cargo Ships by Country (2026)

The number of general cargo ships measures how many general cargo ships are registered under a country's flag. Unlike fleet statistics measured in deadweight tonnage, this indicator counts vessels rather than their capacity, making it useful for comparing general cargo fleets by the number of ships they contain. The statistics are based on the UNCTADstat database. The dataset covers 196 countries and territories, and the table below lists 170 of them that record any general cargo ships in the period; their combined general cargo fleet stood at 21,027 ships in 2026.

Countries With the Most General Cargo Ships in 2026

Indonesia recorded the most general cargo ships in 2026 with 2,521 vessels. China ranked second with 2,030, followed by Japan (1,848), Panama (1,429), and Vietnam (1,114). The Philippines (962), Russia (945), India (623), the Netherlands (533), and Antigua and Barbuda (505) complete the top ten.

Number of General Cargo Ships by Country (2026)

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#	Country	Country (ships)
1	Indonesia ID	2,338
2	Japan JP	1884
3	Panama PA	1382
4	China CN	1340
5	Vietnam VN	1191
6	Philippines PH	947
7	Russia RU	944
8	India IN	589
9	Netherlands NL	554
10	Antigua and Barbuda AG	469
11	Belize BZ	410
12	Iran IR	395
13	South Korea KR	367
14	Sierra Leone SL	308
15	Türkiye TR	277
16	Togo TG	266
17	Norway NO	242
18	Honduras HN	233
19	Malta MT	213
20	Cyprus CY	196
21	North Korea KP	186
22	Hong Kong HK	181
23	Malaysia MY	175
24	Tanzania TZ	151
25	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines VC	150
26	Bangladesh BD	140
27	Portugal PT	137
28	Liberia LR	131
29	Cambodia KH	128
30	Mongolia MN	122
31	United Arab Emirates AE	118
32	Singapore SG	114
33	Comoros KM	113
34	Italy IT	111
35	Palau PW	108
36	Barbados BB	102
37	United States US	101
38	Moldova MD	96
39	Thailand TH	95
40	Greece GR	88
41	Papua New Guinea PG	88
42	Germany DE	87
43	Ukraine UA	85
44	United Kingdom GB	78
45	Australia AU	77
46	Finland FI	74
47	Denmark DK	69
48	Canada CA	68
49	Marshall Islands MH	66
50	Bahamas BS	64
51	Chile CL	64
52	Taiwan TW	57
53	Vanuatu VU	57
54	Gibraltar GI	55
55	Cook Islands CK	53
56	Faroe Islands FO	48
57	Myanmar MM	48
58	Albania AL	47
59	France FR	47
60	Sweden SE	47
61	Saint Kitts and Nevis KN	45
62	Azerbaijan AZ	38
63	Brazil BR	38
64	Cameroon CM	37
65	Spain ES	36
66	Ireland IE	35
67	Croatia HR	31
68	Dominica DM	31
69	Lebanon LB	31
70	Isle of Man IM	30
71	Bolivia BO	29
72	Maldives MV	29
73	Colombia CO	28
74	Guyana GY	28
75	Kiribati KI	28
76	Niue NU	28
77	Tuvalu TV	28
78	Egypt EG	27
79	Venezuela VE	27
80	Paraguay PY	25
81	Lithuania LT	24
82	Latvia LV	23
83	Luxembourg LU	23
84	Fiji FJ	21
85	Nigeria NG	21
86	Saudi Arabia SA	21
87	Gabon GA	20
88	Brunei BN	18
89	Micronesia FM	18
90	Belgium BE	16
91	Kuwait KW	15
92	Madagascar MG	15
93	Bulgaria BG	14
94	Cape Verde CV	14
95	French Polynesia PF	14
96	Angola AO	13
97	Bahrain BH	13
98	Sao Tome and Principe ST	13
99	Sri Lanka LK	13
100	Cuba CU	12
101	New Zealand NZ	12
102	Tonga TO	12
103	Algeria DZ	11
104	Mexico MX	11
105	Syria SY	11
106	Ethiopia ET	10
107	Oman OM	10
108	Equatorial Guinea GQ	9
109	Jamaica JM	9
110	Mozambique MZ	9
111	Romania RO	9
112	Solomon Islands SB	9
113	Argentina AR	8
114	Ecuador EC	8
115	Tunisia TN	8
116	Ghana GH	7
117	Curaçao CW	6
118	Poland PL	6
119	Turkmenistan TM	6
120	Djibouti DJ	5
121	Guinea-Bissau GW	5
122	Iceland IS	5
123	Jordan JO	5
124	Morocco MA	5
125	New Caledonia NC	5
126	Senegal SN	5
127	Seychelles SC	5
128	Suriname SR	5
129	DR Congo CD	4
130	Eritrea ER	4
131	Qatar QA	4
132	Uruguay UY	4
133	British Virgin Islands VG	3
134	Georgia GE	3
135	Grenada GD	3
136	Haiti HT	3
137	Kazakhstan KZ	3
138	Samoa WS	3
139	Botswana BW	2
140	Dominican Republic DO	2
141	Estonia EE	2
142	Eswatini SZ	2
143	Israel IL	2
144	Libya LY	2
145	Mauritania MR	2
146	Yemen YE	2
147	Cayman Islands KY	1
148	Congo CG	1
149	Falkland Islands FK	1
150	Iraq IQ	1
151	Laos LA	1
152	Mauritius MU	1
153	Namibia NA	1
154	Nicaragua NI	1
155	Niger NE	1
156	Peru PE	1
157	Somalia SO	1
158	South Africa ZA	1
159	Switzerland CH	1
160	Trinidad and Tobago TT	1
161	Turks and Caicos Islands TC	1
162	US Virgin Islands VI	1
163	Zambia ZM	1
164	Benin BJ	0
165	Gambia GM	0
166	Guinea GN	0
167	Nauru NR	0
168	North Macedonia MK	0
169	San Marino SM	0
170	Slovenia SI	0

General cargo fleets are widely distributed, reflecting the many countries that maintain small coastal fleets alongside major maritime registries. Indonesia alone accounts for about 12 percent of the general cargo ships in the table, while the top five countries together account for about 43 percent. Among the 170 countries listed, 5 register more than 1,000 general cargo ships, while 7 report a nil fleet for 2026.

Number of General Cargo Ships Around the World

In Asia, Indonesia (2,521) records the largest number of general cargo ships, ahead of China (2,030), Japan (1,848), Vietnam (1,114), and the Philippines (962). India (623) and South Korea (338) follow, with Malaysia (173) and Thailand (83) registering fewer.

In Europe, Russia (945) and the Netherlands (533) hold the largest fleets by ship count, ahead of Portugal (338) and Norway (241). Türkiye (203) and Cyprus (189) follow, while Germany (75) and the United Kingdom (39) register fewer.

In the Americas, Panama (1,429) records the largest number of general cargo ships, ahead of Belize (313), the United States (105), the Bahamas (66), and Canada (66). In Africa, the largest fleets are found in Sierra Leone (288), Tanzania (285), and Comoros (274), ahead of Liberia (214) and Togo (193).

In the Middle East, Iran (437) records the most general cargo ships, far ahead of Saudi Arabia (22). In Oceania, Palau (215) records the largest number, ahead of Papua New Guinea (100), the Marshall Islands (93), and Vanuatu (87), while Australia (76) and New Zealand (12) record smaller fleets. Among open-registry economies, Panama and Antigua and Barbuda are the largest by general cargo ship count.

Largest Changes in Number of General Cargo Ships, 2021–2026

China recorded the largest increase between 2021 and 2026, rising from 1,340 to 2,030 general cargo ships (up 690). Portugal added 201 vessels, from 137 to 338, and Indonesia grew from 2,338 to 2,521 (up 183). Tanzania added 134, Palau 107, and Liberia 83.

Malta recorded the largest decline, from 213 to 105 general cargo ships (down 108), followed by Belize (down 97) and Vietnam (down 77). Türkiye declined by 74, and Hong Kong by 55.

Number of General Cargo Ships by Country (2026)

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#	Country	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026
1	Indonesia	2,338	2,345	2,346	2,436	2,476	2,521
2	Japan	1884	1874	1842	1825	1829	1848
3	Panama	1382	1411	1439	1409	1418	1429
4	China	1340	1535	1785	2,156	2066	2030
5	Vietnam	1191	1185	1149	1115	1109	1114
6	Philippines	947	950	943	944	950	962
7	Russia	944	980	974	950	955	945
8	India	589	590	604	609	614	623
9	Netherlands	554	539	522	517	526	533
10	Antigua and Barbuda	469	444	425	431	452	505
11	Belize	410	417	393	415	378	313
12	Iran	395	396	401	413	424	437
13	South Korea	367	369	372	352	343	338
14	Sierra Leone	308	318	327	313	304	288
15	Türkiye	277	242	220	207	213	203
16	Togo	266	250	250	215	202	193
17	Norway	242	270	269	261	267	241
18	Honduras	233	234	235	228	227	228
19	Malta	213	180	143	127	112	105
20	Cyprus	196	202	214	202	195	189
21	North Korea	186	188	196	197	200	200
22	Hong Kong	181	152	140	123	116	126
23	Malaysia	175	174	170	174	175	173
24	Tanzania	151	146	179	235	277	285
25	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	150	145	135	119	114	110
26	Bangladesh	140	156	173	194	196	197
27	Portugal	137	177	198	238	269	338
28	Liberia	131	140	167	198	222	214
29	Cambodia	128	127	117	111	111	111
30	Mongolia	122	143	154	185	179	170
31	United Arab Emirates	118	121	122	124	122	138
32	Singapore	114	98	97	89	85	89
33	Comoros	113	107	131	136	221	274
34	Italy	111	106	110	102	99	98
35	Palau	108	136	204	235	230	215
36	Barbados	102	113	153	181	197	183
37	United States	101	98	99	102	104	105
38	Moldova	96	76	28	18	18	18
39	Thailand	95	90	86	85	85	83
40	Greece	88	82	79	71	79	79
41	Papua New Guinea	88	90	94	97	98	100
42	Germany	87	81	81	76	79	75
43	Ukraine	85	84	83	72	63	62
44	United Kingdom	78	69	58	52	45	39
45	Australia	77	76	76	76	75	76
46	Finland	74	74	71	68	66	67
47	Denmark	69	67	65	62	58	56
48	Canada	68	67	74	72	66	66
49	Marshall Islands	66	62	66	78	85	93
50	Bahamas	64	62	54	50	46	66
51	Chile	64	63	66	66	66	64
52	Taiwan	57	58	58	63	63	63
53	Vanuatu	57	87	105	97	87	87
54	Gibraltar	55	36	30	23	21	20
55	Cook Islands	53	52	33	26	23	24
56	Faroe Islands	48	42	44	44	42	43
57	Myanmar	48	51	56	48	48	48
58	Albania	47	47	46	34	33	33
59	France	47	46	49	47	47	49
60	Sweden	47	46	44	41	40	41
61	Saint Kitts and Nevis	45	64	90	121	188	210
62	Azerbaijan	38	38	38	36	35	36
63	Brazil	38	37	37	34	34	34
64	Cameroon	37	49	102	164	117	124
65	Spain	36	35	33	20	23	21
66	Ireland	35	33	31	32	35	34
67	Croatia	31	32	31	26	27	27
68	Dominica	31	30	19	15	15	19
69	Lebanon	31	30	28	26	25	26
70	Isle of Man	30	27	30	27	24	28
71	Bolivia	29	28	27	28	27	38
72	Maldives	29	30	30	29	29	30
73	Colombia	28	28	28	27	27	27
74	Guyana	28	48	47	40	40	38
75	Kiribati	28	24	26	24	24	26
76	Niue	28	29	33	31	29	27
77	Tuvalu	28	30	31	30	31	39
78	Egypt	27	27	22	19	20	20
79	Venezuela	27	24	26	25	25	24
80	Paraguay	25	23	22	21	22	22
81	Lithuania	24	22	19	18	19	18
82	Latvia	23	30	31	34	37	41
83	Luxembourg	23	30	27	25	23	11
84	Fiji	21	22	22	22	25	25
85	Nigeria	21	23	25	25	25	26
86	Saudi Arabia	21	21	20	20	23	22
87	Gabon	20	20	19	21	28	24
88	Brunei	18	18	18	17	17	16
89	Micronesia	18	17	16	16	15	14
90	Belgium	16	15	15	13	13	15
91	Kuwait	15	15	21	22	21	21
92	Madagascar	15	15	16	12	12	13
93	Bulgaria	14	14	13	13	12	13
94	Cape Verde	14	14	13	11	11	10
95	French Polynesia	14	14	14	14	16	16
96	Angola	13	13	13	13	15	15
97	Bahrain	13	11	11	11	11	11
98	Sao Tome and Principe	13	15	15	18	32	46
99	Sri Lanka	13	13	13	10	10	10
100	Cuba	12	12	12	12	13	12
101	New Zealand	12	12	13	12	12	12
102	Tonga	12	11	10	9	9	10
103	Algeria	11	11	11	11	11	11
104	Mexico	11	10	11	11	11	12
105	Syria	11	7	8	4	3	3
106	Ethiopia	10	10	10	10	10	10
107	Oman	10	11	11	11	10	11
108	Equatorial Guinea	9	12	12	12	8	8
109	Jamaica	9	10	12	10	12	14
110	Mozambique	9	9	9	9	9	9
111	Romania	9	9	9	9	9	9
112	Solomon Islands	9	8	10	20	21	21
113	Argentina	8	8	8	8	8	8
114	Ecuador	8	7	7	6	6	7
115	Tunisia	8	8	8	8	8	8
116	Ghana	7	7	8	8	8	8
117	Curaçao	6	4	3	3	7	6
118	Poland	6	6	6	6	6	6
119	Turkmenistan	6	6	7	7	8	8
120	Djibouti	5	4	4	4	4	4
121	Guinea-Bissau	5	5	12	30	39	51
122	Iceland	5	5	5	1	1	1
123	Jordan	5	5	5	6	5	6
124	Morocco	5	5	5	5	5	5
125	New Caledonia	5	5	4	3	3	3
126	Senegal	5	5	4	4	4	4
127	Seychelles	5	5	6	7	8	8
128	Suriname	5	5	5	5	5	5
129	DR Congo	4	5	3	2	1	1
130	Eritrea	4	4	4	4	4	4
131	Qatar	4	4	4	4	4	4
132	Uruguay	4	4	5	4	4	4
133	British Virgin Islands	3	3	3	3	3	3
134	Georgia	3	3	3	3	4	4
135	Grenada	3	3	2	2	3	3
136	Haiti	3	3	2	2	2	2
137	Kazakhstan	3	3	3	4	5	5
138	Samoa	3	4	4	3	3	4
139	Botswana	-	-	-	-	-	2
140	Dominican Republic	2	2	1	1	1	1
141	Estonia	2	2	3	2	1	1
142	Eswatini	-	-	-	-	2	3
143	Israel	2	2	0	0	0	0
144	Libya	2	2	2	0	0	0
145	Mauritania	2	2	2	2	3	2
146	Yemen	2	2	2	2	2	2
147	Cayman Islands	1	1	2	2	2	2
148	Congo	1	1	0	0	0	0
149	Falkland Islands	1	1	1	1	1	1
150	Iraq	1	1	1	1	1	1
151	Laos	1	1	1	1	1	1
152	Mauritius	1	1	1	2	2	1
153	Namibia	1	1	1	1	1	1
154	Nicaragua	1	1	1	1	1	1
155	Niger	1	1	0	0	0	0
156	Peru	1	1	1	1	0	0
157	Somalia	1	1	1	1	1	1
158	South Africa	1	1	1	1	1	1
159	Switzerland	1	1	1	1	1	0
160	Trinidad and Tobago	1	1	1	1	1	1
161	Turks and Caicos Islands	1	1	1	1	1	1
162	US Virgin Islands	1	1	1	1	1	1
163	Zambia	1	1	1	1	1	1
164	Benin	0	0	0	0	0	1
165	Gambia	0	1	6	5	6	20
166	Guinea	0	1	0	0	0	1
167	Nauru	0	0	1	0	0	9
168	North Macedonia	-	-	-	0	2	1
169	San Marino	-	0	0	1	6	16
170	Slovenia	0	1	0	0	0	0

Methodology

The statistics are based on the UNCTADstat database, indicator Number of ships (general cargo ships), which counts the general cargo ships registered under each country's flag. According to UNCTAD, the fleet registration statistics cover all commercial ships of 100 gross tons and above. The main comparison uses 2026 data where available, and the latest available year for countries without a 2026 observation. Countries with no general cargo ships in any year of the period are excluded from the table. In the table, a zero reflects a nil fleet, while an empty cell means that no value was reported; the two are never mixed up in the calculations.