Two towboats attached to a naval submarine flotilla under the PLA Northern Theater Command are about to tow a submarine to bear off a port during a training exercise on May 6, 2023. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has five Theater Commands, namely the Eastern Theater Command, the Southern Theater Command, the Western Theater Command, the Northern Theater Command and the Central Theater Command. (Photo Credit: Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China/Shi Jialong)
Table 1: Number of Chinese submarines, 2005 – 2023
| Year | Number of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) | Number of nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) | Number of diesel/air-independent propulsion powered attack submarines (SS) |
| 2005 | 1 | 6 | 51 |
| 2006 | 1 | 5 | 50 |
| 2007 | 1 | 5 | 53 |
| 2008 | 1 | 5 | 54 |
| 2009 | 2 | 6 | 54 |
| 2010 | 2 | 6 | 54 |
| 2011 | 2 | 5 | 49 |
| 2012 | 2 | 5 | 48 |
| 2013 | 3 | 5 | 49 |
| 2014 | 3 | 5 | 51 |
| 2015 | 4 | 5 | 53 |
| 2016 | 4 | 5 | 57 |
| 2017 | 4 | 5 | 54 |
| 2018 | 4 | 5 | 57 |
| 2019 | 4 | 6 | 50 |
| 2020 | 4 | 6 | 46 |
| 2021 | 6 | 9 | 56 |
| 2022 | 6 | 6 | 56 |
| 2023 | 6 | 6 | 47 |
Note: The numbers for 2005 column show the figure for the end of FY2004, and so on for later years.
Table 2: Number of Chinese submarines, 2000 – 2030
| Type of submarine | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2020 | 2025 | 2030 |
| Number of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Number of nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 13 |
| Number of diesel/air-independent propulsion powered attack submarines (SS) | 56 | 56 | 48 | 53 | 55 | 55 | 55 |
| Total | 62 | 61 | 56 | 63 | 66 | 71 | 76 |
Note: Figures are for end of calendar year
Table 3: Number of Chinese submarines, 2023 – Current
| Number of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) | 6 |
| JIN-class, Type 094 | 6 |
| Next generation SSBNs | Number unknown |
| Number of nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) | 6 = (2 + 4) |
| SHANG I – class, Type 093 | 2 |
| SHANG II – class, Type 093A | 4 |
| Number of guided-missile nuclear attack submarines (SSGN) | 5 = (2 + 3) |
| SHANG III – class, Type 093B | 2 |
| SHANG III – class, Type 093B | 3 hulls are available |
| Number of diesel/air-independent propulsion powered attack submarines (SS) | 44 = (13 + 21 + 8 + 2) |
| SONG-class, Type 039 | 13 |
| YUAN-class, Type 039 A/B | 21 |
| KILO-class with anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) | 8 |
| KILO-class without ASCM | 2 |
| KILO-class without ASCM, decommissioned in 2021 | -2 |
| New YUAN-class, Type 039C | 25 |
*This article is monitored and updated regularly as the news information regarding China’s submarines is becoming available in the public domain.
