China vs Japan: Cumulative number of objects launched into space
China
1,759 objects
in 2025
Japan
384 objects
in 2025
China rank
3rd
Japan rank
5th
Cumulative number of objects launched into space over time
- China
- Japan
How they compare
China currently reports 1,759 objects against 384 objects in Japan, a difference of 1,375 objects.
That makes China's figure about 4.6 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 50 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Japan ahead.
China ranks 3rd and Japan ranks 5th of 50 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and Japan in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.83 objects | 6.67 objects | 1.83 objects | Japan |
| 1980s | 17.75 objects | 31.5 objects | 13.75 objects | Japan |
| 1990s | 45 objects | 66.1 objects | 21.1 objects | Japan |
| 2000s | 111.6 objects | 112.8 objects | 1.2 objects | Japan |
| 2010s | 313.2 objects | 201.4 objects | 111.8 objects | China |
| 2020s | 1,086 objects | 325.67 objects | 760.33 objects | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative number of objects launched into space, China or Japan?
- China, at 1,759 objects against 384 objects in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in cumulative number of objects launched into space between China and Japan?
- 1,375 objects, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
- 50 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do China and Japan rank globally for cumulative number of objects launched into space?
- China ranks 3rd and Japan ranks 5th of 50 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative number of objects launched into space. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Cumulative number of satellites, probes, landers, crewed spacecrafts, and space station flight elements, launched into Earth orbit or beyond.