Superyacht Ownership Trends

Superyacht sales saw a decline from $5 billion in 2023 to $3.6 billion in 2024 as the momentum from the post-pandemic boom started to level out.

In 2023, 133 superyachts were purchased with an average price of $37 million, according to the Douglas Elliman and Knight Frank 2025 Wealth Report. Last year, new superyacht purchases dropped to 131 vessels with an average price of $27 million.

Despite fewer sales last year, marinas are still struggling to accommodate the world’s most luxurious boats. In the last 25 years the size of yachts has increased, with 73 superyachts over 100 metres being built. Nearly half of these vessels were constructed in the last decade.

Aside from berthing challenges, fueling and maintaining superyachts also requires a tremendous number of resources. Environmental journalist Joe Fassler described superyacht ownership as the “most harmful thing an individual can do to the climate”. For example, regarding Rising Sun, the 454 foot, 82 room vessel owned by the DreamWorks co-founder David Geffen, Fassler wrote. “According to a 2021 analysis in the journal Sustainability, the diesel fuel-powered boat produces an estimated 16,320 tons of carbon-dioxide-equivalent gases annually… almost 800 times what the average American generates in a year” leading to increasing pushbackfrom environmentalists.