India vs Japan: Cumulative number of objects launched into space

India
163 objects
in 2025
Japan
384 objects
in 2025
India rank
7th
Japan rank
5th

Cumulative number of objects launched into space over time

  • India
  • Japan
0100200300400197019972025

How they compare

Japan currently reports 384 objects against 163 objects in India, a difference of 221 objects.

That makes Japan's figure about 2.4 times India's.

Across all 41 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.

India ranks 7th and Japan ranks 5th of 50 countries.

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade India Japan Difference Ahead
1970s 1.5 objects 12.5 objects 11 objects Japan
1980s 8 objects 27 objects 19 objects Japan
1990s 21.11 objects 64.56 objects 43.44 objects Japan
2000s 39.89 objects 111.67 objects 71.78 objects Japan
2010s 82.3 objects 201.4 objects 119.1 objects Japan
2020s 142 objects 325.67 objects 183.67 objects Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher cumulative number of objects launched into space, India or Japan?
Japan, at 384 objects against 163 objects in India as of 2025.
What is the difference in cumulative number of objects launched into space between India and Japan?
221 objects, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for India and Japan?
41 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2025.
How do India and Japan rank globally for cumulative number of objects launched into space?
India ranks 7th 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

Indicator
Cumulative number of objects launched into space
Unit
objects
Source
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
52 places, 979 data points, 1957–2025
Last refreshed

Cumulative number of satellites, probes, landers, crewed spacecrafts, and space station flight elements, launched into Earth orbit or beyond.