China vs Russia: Cumulative number of objects launched into space
China
1,759 objects
in 2025
Russia
3,914 objects
in 2025
China rank
3rd
Russia rank
2nd
Cumulative number of objects launched into space over time
- China
- Russia
How they compare
Russia currently reports 3,914 objects against 1,759 objects in China, a difference of 2,155 objects.
That makes Russia's figure about 2.2 times China's.
Across all 50 years both countries report, Russia has been ahead every year.
China ranks 3rd and Russia ranks 2nd of 50 countries.
Russia has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Russia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.83 objects | 904 objects | 899.17 objects | Russia |
| 1980s | 17.75 objects | 2,083 objects | 2,065 objects | Russia |
| 1990s | 45 objects | 2,939 objects | 2,894 objects | Russia |
| 2000s | 111.6 objects | 3,216 objects | 3,105 objects | Russia |
| 2010s | 313.2 objects | 3,452 objects | 3,139 objects | Russia |
| 2020s | 1,086 objects | 3,722 objects | 2,636 objects | Russia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative number of objects launched into space, China or Russia?
- Russia, at 3,914 objects against 1,759 objects in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in cumulative number of objects launched into space between China and Russia?
- 2,155 objects, with Russia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Russia?
- 50 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do China and Russia rank globally for cumulative number of objects launched into space?
- China ranks 3rd and Russia ranks 2nd 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.