Boat International's Global Order Book 2026, published December 11, 2025, counted 1,093 yachts of 24 metres or more on order or under construction worldwide — a drop of roughly 4% from the prior year's 1,138. Italy extended its lead to 52% of the total (568 yachts, 240,560GT), and Azimut|Benetti Group topped the builder ranking for a 26th consecutive year, with 163 units in build.
Table of Contents
- The Global Order Book 2026 numbers
- Italy extends its lead
- Who leads among the builders
- Fewer units, record average size
- How this tracks 2025's results
- Where Brazil fits in
- FAQ
The Global Order Book 2026 numbers
The Global Order Book 2026, released by Boat International on December 11, 2025 alongside a virtual event and its January 2026 print edition, is the annual survey counting yachts of 24 metres or more on order or in build at shipyards worldwide, with contracts signed before September 1, 2025. The 2026 edition counted 1,093 vessels, down from 1,138 the prior year — a drop of roughly 4% in unit count. The survey drew on data from 190 shipyards across five continents.
Despite the drop in unit count, the report itself notes that average length and tonnage under construction reached record highs, and that build slots at leading yards are already committed through 2028-2029 — nearly a four-year queue at the most sought-after builders.
Italy extends its lead
Italy rose 2 percentage points to reach 52% of the global order book — implying a roughly 50% share in the prior year's survey, based on the stated change alone. In absolute terms, that is 568 Italian yachts on order or in build, totalling 240,560GT (gross tonnage). The source reviewed does not break down how the remaining 525 yachts (1,093 minus 568) are distributed among other countries, so we do not estimate that split.
| Origin | Yachts | Gross tonnage (GT) |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | 568 | 240,560GT |
| Rest of world | 525 | Not disclosed |
| Global total | 1,093 | Not disclosed |
Who leads among the builders
Azimut|Benetti Group topped the builder ranking for a 26th consecutive year, with 163 units under construction totalling 5,924 metres of combined length and roughly 23% of the global market, per the survey. Sanlorenzo, combined with sailing brand Nautor Swan, ranked second, with 130 yachts and 4,698 metres of combined length — the source does not disclose Sanlorenzo's specific percentage share of the global market, only the leader's.
| Builder | Yachts in build | Combined length | Market share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azimut|Benetti Group | 163 | 5,924m | ~23% (26th consecutive year leading) |
| Sanlorenzo (incl. Nautor Swan) | 130 | 4,698m | Not disclosed |
Fewer units, record average size
Pairing a lower total unit count with record average length and tonnage suggests a shift in market composition, not necessarily a demand slowdown: fewer yachts are being ordered overall, but the ones in build tend to run larger than the historical average. The source reviewed does not specify whether that shift reflects buyers choosing bigger vessels, consolidation among smaller yards, or both factors together — and this article does not speculate beyond what the report discloses.
How this tracks 2025's results
2025's quarterly filings from Italy's major groups were already pointing this way. Across the superyacht deliveries we covered this year, Oceanco delivered two 111-metre yachts in a single November week — Leviathan and DreAMBoat — and, in December, Lürssen floated out the 117-metre Boardwalk, the German yard's fourth launch of the year. Large-scale projects like these are precisely what help explain why the order book's average tonnage hit a record even as total unit count fell.
On the financial side, Sanlorenzo closed nine-month 2025 with a EUR 1.7 billion backlog, 90% sold to end clients, according to the report the company published in November — one individual builder's strong backlog that, added to others across the industry, feeds into the broader picture the Global Order Book captures.
Where Brazil fits in
No Brazilian shipyard appears among the names referenced in the survey reviewed for this article — Brazil's boatbuilding industry operates in a different market tier, focused on speedboats and smaller leisure craft, as we detail in Brazil's Nautical Market in 2025. For a high-net-worth buyer or charter client anywhere, including Brazil, the most relevant takeaway from the Global Order Book is indirect: build slots committed through 2028-2029 at the most sought-after yards tend to stretch delivery windows and keep new-yacht pricing elevated — a dynamic we already discussed from the charter side in The Charter Market in Numbers: Why Boats Are Scarce and Demand Isn't. Readers who want a superyacht experience already in operation, rather than waiting on a new build, can browse the international fleet at voguer.yachts; for boat rental on Brazil's coastline, the route is voguer.com.br.
FAQ
What is the Global Order Book? It is an annual survey published by Boat International that counts yachts of 24 metres or more on order or under construction at shipyards worldwide. The 2026 edition, released December 11, 2025, drew on data from 190 shipyards across five continents, covering contracts signed before September 1, 2025.
How many yachts are in build according to the Global Order Book 2026? 1,093 yachts of 24 metres or more, down roughly 4% from the 1,138 counted in the prior year's survey. Despite the drop in units, average length and tonnage under construction reached record highs, according to the report.
What is Italy's share of the global order book? 52% of the total, up 2 percentage points from the prior survey. In absolute terms, that is 568 Italian yachts on order or in build, totalling 240,560GT of gross tonnage — the largest share among the countries covered by the survey.
Which shipyard leads the Global Order Book 2026? Azimut|Benetti Group, for a 26th consecutive year, with 163 units in build, 5,924 metres of combined length and roughly 23% of the global market. Sanlorenzo, combined with Nautor Swan, ranks second, with 130 yachts and 4,698 metres of combined length.
Through when are shipyards' build slots committed? According to the report, build slots at leading yards are already committed through 2028-2029 — nearly a four-year wait for anyone signing a new contract today at a high-demand yard, though the exact timeline varies by builder and model.
Does Brazil appear in the Global Order Book 2026? No, not according to the sources reviewed for this article. Brazil's shipbuilding industry operates in a different market tier, concentrated in speedboats and smaller leisure craft, not in the 24-metre-plus superyachts this particular survey covers.
Why did the number of yachts fall while average size rose? The report does not detail the exact causes behind that shift in composition. One possible reading, based on the figures disclosed, is that buyers are ordering larger vessels on average even as total contract count declines — but that was not explicitly confirmed by the source, so we treat it as a hypothesis rather than an established fact.
Where can I find the full Global Order Book 2026 report? On Boat International's BOATPro portal, which published the survey on December 11, 2025 alongside a virtual event called Global Order Book Live. Coverage was also carried by trade outlets including Yacht Style and SuperYacht24.
