How Many Men Own A Yacht?

The 2021 growth of luxury yachts is expected to be significant as the global economy recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic. Middle Easterners own the most yachts globally, with almost one-third of the world’s top 200 super yachts owned by millionaires and billionaires from countries like Russia. New boat sales surged 40% during the pandemic. The recreational boating industry has never been better, with more people owning their own yachts in 2020 than any other year since 2009.

Approximately 25.2 million boats were owned by 14.5 million households in 2018, with joint-shared ownership becoming increasingly popular. Annual U.S. sales of boats, marine products, and services are estimated to total 59.3 billion in 2022. Retail unit sales of new powerboats have held steady in 2019.

The human side of yacht ownership is not easy to estimate due to private ownership and unregistered ones with reputable organizations. However, an estimated 100 million Americans go boating each year, with 61% of boat owners having an annual household income of 100,000 or less. 99.9% of yachts will be owned by companies to protect themselves.

In 2016, there were about 10,000 luxury yachts 79 feet in length in the world, with 20% of them being sailing yachts. Luxury yachts provide employment for 148,000 to 163,000 people, and captains earn between 84,000 and 156,000 per year. In 2018, 50% of respondents aged 18 to 24 years owned a boat.