Japan vs NATO: Cumulative number of objects launched into space

Japan
384 objects
in 2025
NATO
5 objects
in 1991
Japan rank
5th
NATO rank
2nd

Cumulative number of objects launched into space over time

  • Japan
  • NATO
0100200300400197019972025

How they compare

Japan currently reports 384 objects against 5 objects in NATO, a difference of 379 objects.

That makes Japan's figure about 76.8 times NATO's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 5 shared years of data; in 1970 it was NATO ahead.

Japan ranks 5th and NATO ranks 2nd of 50 countries.

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Japan NATO Difference Ahead
1970s 4 objects 2 objects 2 objects Japan
1980s 30 objects 4 objects 26 objects Japan
1990s 54 objects 5 objects 49 objects Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher cumulative number of objects launched into space, Japan or NATO?
Japan, at 384 objects against 5 objects in NATO as of 2025.
What is the difference in cumulative number of objects launched into space between Japan and NATO?
379 objects, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and NATO?
5 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 1991.
How do Japan and NATO rank globally for cumulative number of objects launched into space?
Japan ranks 5th and NATO 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

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.