Americans now make up the largest share of superyacht owners worldwide

Question

The statistics in the publication back up the claim that Americans now own the largest percentage of superyachts globally. It states that Americans own 23 percent of all superyachts over 40 meters, which is a larger share than any other nationality, with Russians coming in second at only 7 percent (Kaysen). This indicates that the United States has become the global leader in the superyacht sector. The impact of contemporary economic issues on this shift is also covered in the article. The top 0.1 percent of American households saw their wealth grow by 90 percent, reaching a collective value of $23.3 trillion, which helps explain why so many U.S. buyers have entered the superyacht market (Kaysen). Vessels costing tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars are simpler for American purchasers to acquire thanks to this quick rise in wealth. Finally, industry experts in the piece validate this tendency from a business point of view. One shipyard executive says that Americans are “the cork that keeps everything floating,” emphasizing how heavily the market now depends on U.S. buyers (Kaysen). The assertion that Americans today make up the greatest share of superyacht owners globally is supported by ownership numbers, wealth statistics, and industry evidence.
 

Kaysen, Ronda. “Today’s Yacht Buyer Is Younger, Richer and Increasingly American.” The New York Times, 8 Nov. 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/realestate/american-superyacht-buyers.html.

Answer 1

From my research I have found that this statement is true. Superyacht news states that the U.S. has long been a cornerstone of the global super yacht market. At the start of 2022, buyers from North America accounted for 27% of all the in-build yachts over 40 meters. This represented more than twice the share of Russian buyers for newbuilds which took at 13%. Over a third of the used yachts are also going to the U.S. At least 80 of the 224 used yachts over 30 meters sold during the first eight months of 2022 involved American buyers. 

https://www.superyachttimes.com/yacht-news/analysis-of-the-american-yacht-brokerage-market

Comments

This was a great answer, but maybe adding more sources to provide more evidence would make a stronger argument.

Answer 2

This is true. According to SuperyachtNews.com, America is in first place for super yacht ownership, with 23.6% of owners living in the US. Superyacht Content claims that the average length of a super yacht in the US sits at 54 meters. Since 2019, America has had over 158 super yachts. Christie Yachts states that America saw a rise in super yacht ownership following the Covid pandemic, especially because these vessels offer "comfort, stability, low noise and vibration, range and the ability to be autonomous for longer periods of time." 

https://www.superyachtnews.com/business/seaborn-in-the-usa

https://www.superyachtcontent.com/superyacht-news/which-country-has-the-most-superyacht-owners-in-2023/

https://christieyachts.com/news/why-the-usa-is-driving-the-superyacht-market/

Answer 3

From my research, I would say this claim is true. The only other most recent article I could find was by the New York Post. In this article it states, "The growth in yacht sales has happened despite sanctions against Russian buyers, who had previously made up 25% of the top end of the market." Even Jonathan Beckett, the CEO of yacht brokerage Burgess, who has 17 different offices across the globe said,  “I never thought I’d see Americans buying and building boats of this size. But they are.” The reason is said to be that the services available on yachts are better than those in luxurious mansions. Superyacht Content put out an article in 2023 supporting this claim. Where they say the United States coming in first place with 23.6% of owners. Russia is second with 8.1%. Greece is third with 6.2%.

Comments

These are great statistics, and I like how you implemented the source links when you cite evidence so that it easy to go directly to that source.

Answer 4

From my research, I have found that this statement is true. The United States leads the world in superyacht ownership, with Superyacht News reporting that the U.S. has long been a cornerstone of the global market. At the start of 2022, buyers from North America accounted for 27% of all new-build yachts over 40 meters, more than twice the share of Russian buyers at 13%. Over a third of used yachts are also sold to Americans, with at least 80 of the 224 used yachts over 30 meters sold during the first eight months of 2022 involving U.S. buyers. Supporting this trend, Superyacht Content reported in 2023 that Americans make up 23.6% of superyacht owners, followed by Russia at 8.1% and Greece at 6.2%. The growth in American ownership has been attributed to the luxurious services available on yachts, which often surpass those in even the most opulent mansions. Jonathan Beckett, CEO of the yacht brokerage Burgess, noted, “I never thought I’d see Americans buying and building boats of this size. But they are.” These trends highlight both the scale and the ongoing growth of superyacht ownership in the U.S., especially following the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the evidence, the claim is true: Americans make up the largest share of superyacht owners worldwide.

https://christieyachts.com/news/why-the-usa-is-driving-the-superyacht-market/

https://www.superyachttimes.com/yacht-news/analysis-of-the-american-yacht-brokerage-market

https://www.superyachtcontent.com/superyacht-news/which-country-has-the-most-superyacht-owners-in-2023/

Answer 5

This claim is correct as I found several articles and statistics to back it up. 

- Clients from the United States own the largest share of superyachts over 40 metres, at 23% of the total fleet". 

- Clients from the United States have purchased the most new-build yachts over 40 metres in the past 10 years, having acquired 17% of all of these yachts,

There aren't a lot of superyachts as they are huge in size, while normal yachts are big to begin with, but Americans still own the most out of that proportion of superyachts in the world. The sources that I read from are not just American sources meaning there aren't biases to make Americans seem like the richest or just focusing on them. 

US market insights from a shipyard at the forefront of American yachting

https://www.boatinternational.com/showcase/ocean-alexander/ocean-alexander-yacht-market-insights?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Answer 6

After scoring the web for information on this topic, I have concluded that this statement is true.  "A Superyacht is defined as a yacht with a length of over 40m, of which there are around 2,000 worldwide"(SuperyachtTimes). According to sources, the U.S. has long been a cornerstone of the global super yacht market. At the start of 2022, buyers from North America accounted for 27% of all the in-build yachts over 40 meters. This represented more than twice the share of Russian buyers for in-builds, which was roughly 13%. Over a third of the used yachts are also going to the U.S. At least 80 of the 224 used yachts over 30 meters sold during the first eight months of 2022 involved American buyers. 

https://www.superyachttimes.com/

https://www.superyachtcontent.com/superyacht-news/which-country-has-the-most-superyacht-owners-in-2023/

Answer 7

The data that is currently available supports the assertion that Americans currently own the largest percentage of superyachts worldwide. The claim that Americans are currently the leading owners of superyachts is supported by reports cited in the article, which show that American owners own 23 percent of all superyachts over 40 meters, by far the largest national share, while Russian owners own only 7 percent (Kaysen). This is supported by external industry sources. For instance, according to the SuperYacht Times report, the United States owns about 23% of all large yachts.

The article's argument that the ultra-rich, especially the top 0.1 percent of American households, have amassed enormous wealth, making it easier for them to enter the superyacht market, is also supported by the growing wealth in the United States. Without access to the original New York Times data, I was unable to independently confirm the precise "$23.3 trillion" figure; however, the overall trend of increasing American wealth concentration aligns with other analyses of the superyacht market.

Lastly, experts cited in more extensive industry reporting concur that the market now "depends" significantly on U.S. consumers. Numerous market reports acknowledge the ownership shift away from traditional strongholds (like Russia) and toward America, indicating that the article's conclusion is based on real trends rather than being overblown.