Why data matters for shipbuilding industrial policy

Shipbuilding underpins competitiveness, economic security, and higher energy efficiency. Yet across major shipbuilding economies, industrial policy decisions are frequently taken with incomplete, inconsistent, or poorly aligned evidence. Four structural data challenges stand out: inconsistent statistical definitions that undermine international comparability; limited visibility on where value is created and which factors drive productivity; delayed identification of emerging skills needs; and insufficient, non-standardised metrics to track technological upgrading and decarbonisation progress. Strengthening shipbuilding data is a strategic priority. Building on OECD tools such as the Structural Analysis (STAN) Database, Inter-Country Input-Output (ICIO) Tables, Trade in Value Added (TiVA) and the Ocean Economy Monitor, improved definitions, labour intelligence, and innovation indicators can support improved policy targeting, monitoring, and cross-country benchmarking — enabling more effective and resilient shipbuilding industrial policy.