A look at the countries that build the most superyachts, from Italy’s production strength to Dutch custom craft, Turkish growth and German scale today.
Ask which country builds the most superyachts and the answer appears simple: Italy. The harder question is what “most” means. Most yachts by number? Most metres under construction? Most gross tonnage? Most full-custom projects? Most 100-metre leviathans? The superyacht map changes depending on which measure is used, and that is what makes the industry more interesting than a league table.
The latest Global Order Book figures show a market that is still large by historical standards, even after the post-pandemic heat has cooled. BOAT International’s 2025 Global Order Book counted 1,138 superyachts in build or on order, down gently from 1,166 the previous year. Within that global total, the balance of power is concentrated in a handful of countries with very different shipbuilding cultures.
Italy is the country that dominates the order book by number of projects. It is the home of the modern semi-custom superyacht machine: yards that can turn design language, serial production, family ownership, beach-club living and Mediterranean glamour into repeatable models. The country’s strength is not only one yard, one coast or one style of yacht. It is an ecosystem.
Azimut-Benetti and Sanlorenzo sit at the centre of that ecosystem, but they are surrounded by a dense network of builders, designers, suppliers, subcontractors, furniture makers, metalworkers, painters, engineers and coastal production centres. Viareggio, Livorno, Ancona, La Spezia and other hubs have become part of a manufacturing geography that can build at scale while still selling the dream of Italian design.
That is why Italy so often leads when the question is framed around total projects. IBI’s reporting on the 2025 Global Order Book placed Italy far ahead by project count, with 572 superyachts in the order book. The number reflects the country’s ability to produce yachts across a wide range of sizes, especially in the 24-to-50-metre market where series and semi-custom construction have become central to demand.
Italy’s dominance does not mean every Italian yacht is simple or standardised. Builders such as Rossinavi, Baglietto, CRN, The Italian Sea Group, Palumbo Superyachts and Cantiere delle Marche keep the full-custom and explorer traditions alive. But the Italian advantage is breadth. It can build a fast open yacht, a family-focused semi-custom yacht, an explorer, a 60-metre custom yacht and a high-volume production series inside the same national industrial fabric.
If Italy is the established volume capital, Turkey is the country whose rise has become impossible to ignore. Turkish yards have moved from being seen mainly as value-driven alternatives into a broader role: serious custom builders, refit centres, steel-and-aluminium specialists and increasingly ambitious exporters.
Turkey ranked second by number of 2025 Global Order Book projects in IBI’s reporting, with 146 projects. That figure says something about cost competitiveness, but it also says something about maturity. The country has developed a deep yard base around Tuzla, Antalya and other maritime centres, with builders such as Bilgin, Turquoise, Alia, Ares and Numarine giving the market a mix of custom yachts, explorers, fast delivery models and substantial steel projects.
Turkey’s position is also shaped by the type of buyer who wants flexibility. Some owners want more freedom to customise without entering the price world of the largest northern European yards. Some want a large yacht with an aggressive design language. Others want delivery slots, project responsiveness or a builder willing to take on unusual requirements. Turkey has increasingly been able to offer those options.
The country’s next challenge is consistency. As Turkish yards compete for larger and more visible projects, expectations rise around finish, warranty, documentation, project management and resale confidence. The strongest Turkish builders know this. Their opportunity is not only to build more yachts, but to keep proving that the country belongs near the top of the global construction table.
The Netherlands does not need to build the most yachts to be one of the most important yacht-building nations. Its power lies in reputation, engineering and custom craft. Dutch yachtbuilding is associated with Feadship, Oceanco, Damen Yachting, Heesen, Royal Huisman and a long maritime culture that values precision, technical development and understated confidence.
IBI’s reporting placed the Netherlands at 69 projects in the 2025 order book, far behind Italy and Turkey by raw count. But count is the wrong way to understand the Dutch position. The Netherlands tends to matter more when the conversation turns to large, complex, high-value custom yachts. BOAT International’s 2025 analysis noted that the Netherlands and Germany specialise heavily in full-custom work, with a large share of their output dedicated to that segment.
The Dutch brand is built around trust. Owners come for engineering depth, design collaboration, quality control, quiet comfort, complex systems and the feeling that a project will be handled with calm professionalism. Many of the world’s most admired custom yachts have passed through Dutch sheds, and the country’s influence is larger than its project count suggests.
There is also a distinctive Dutch middle ground. Damen Yachting’s support vessels and Amels limited-edition yachts sit between custom ambition and repeatable platform logic. Heesen has long balanced speculation, speed and Dutch engineering. Royal Huisman gives the Netherlands a sailing-yacht pedigree that few countries can match. The Netherlands may not win the numbers race, but it remains one of the places where the superyacht industry defines quality.
Germany’s superyacht identity is different again. It is not primarily a volume story. It is a scale story. German yards are associated with the largest and most technically demanding yachts in the world, especially through Lürssen, supported by names such as Abeking & Rasmussen and Dorries Yachts.
When a yacht moves beyond 90 metres, 100 metres or 120 metres, the industrial requirements change. The project needs more than a luxury interior and a fair hull. It needs heavy engineering, military-grade project discipline, major subcontractor coordination, security, owner confidentiality, classification complexity and the ability to manage years of construction. Germany has made that world its own.
BOAT International’s 2025 Global Order Book analysis noted that Germany’s grip on the biggest builds has weakened compared with earlier years, but the country remains central to the 100-metre-plus sector. Lürssen’s order book remains substantial, and German yards continue to occupy a special place in the imagination of owners who want a yacht closer to a private ship than a large leisure craft.
The German story also shows why ranking countries by number alone can mislead. A single German project can contain more gross tonnage, complexity and contract value than several smaller yachts elsewhere. Germany may not build the most superyachts. It builds many of the yachts by which the top end of the industry measures itself.
The United Kingdom and the United States remain important, though neither dominates the global new-build table in the way Italy does. Britain’s strength has historically sat in production and semi-custom motor yachts through names such as Princess and Sunseeker, with an identity linked to performance, styling and owner-operated or crewed yachts below the very largest size ranges.
British builders operate in a difficult middle zone. They carry the prestige of heritage and design, but compete against Italian scale, Turkish cost pressure and a global market that has changed rapidly. Yet British yachtbuilding still has brand power, especially among buyers who recognise the country’s history in smaller superyachts, sports yachts and flybridge models.
The United States has a different profile. American yards such as Westport, Delta Marine, Christensen and others have long served domestic buyers and certain custom niches. The country also remains one of the great demand centres of yachting. Many of the world’s buyers, brokers, refit yards, designers and service providers are tied to the American market, even when the yacht itself is built in Europe or Turkey.
Beyond the headline countries, the superyacht-building map is becoming more varied. Poland has grown in importance through catamaran and composite production, particularly with Sunreef. Taiwan has a long history in yacht construction, with builders such as Horizon active in the 24-metre-plus market. Norway contributes expedition, commercial conversion and specialist maritime capability. Finland, Spain, Australia and other countries appear in particular niches rather than as broad-volume leaders.
This is one of the reasons the phrase “superyacht builder” can hide more than it reveals. A country may build many smaller 24-to-30-metre yachts, a few large custom yachts, specialist sailing yachts, explorer yachts, catamarans, support vessels or refit-led conversions. Each segment has its own economics and its own measure of success.
So which country builds the most superyachts? By project count, the answer is Italy. It has the volume, the brands, the supply chain and the semi-custom engine. By recent growth and project numbers, Turkey has become the major challenger. By custom prestige and engineering reputation, the Netherlands remains one of the strongest countries in the world. By the largest and most complex private ships, Germany still occupies a rare position.
The superyacht industry is not one race. It is several races happening at once. Italy wins the race of volume. The Netherlands wins the race of custom reputation. Germany competes at the summit of scale. Turkey is winning attention as the most dynamic production force. Britain, the United States, Taiwan, Poland and others continue to matter in size bands and specialist markets.
That is why a marina lineup rarely tells the full story. A 40-metre Italian semi-custom yacht, a 58-metre Turkish explorer, a 75-metre Dutch custom yacht and a 115-metre German build all belong to the same industry, but they come from different industrial worlds. Together they explain why superyacht construction remains concentrated, competitive and deeply national in character.
BOAT International: The Global Order Book 2025
IBI: Global Order Book records fall in superyacht orders between 2024 and 2025