China vs Japan: Cumulative number of people who have been to space

China
11 people
in 2021
Japan
11 people
in 2021
China rank
3rd
Japan rank
3rd

Cumulative number of people who have been to space over time

  • China
  • Japan
02.557.510196119912021

How they compare

China currently reports 11 people against 11 people in Japan, a difference of 0 people.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Japan ahead.

China ranks 3rd and Japan ranks 3rd of 39 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and Japan in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade China Japan Difference Ahead
1960s 0 people 0 people 0 people
1970s 0 people 0 people 0 people
1980s 0 people 0 people 0 people
1990s 0 people 2.1 people 2.1 people Japan
2000s 2.3 people 4.7 people 2.4 people Japan
2010s 9.4 people 9.1 people 0.3 people China
2020s 11 people 11 people 0 people

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher cumulative number of people who have been to space, China or Japan?
China, at 11 people against 11 people in Japan as of 2021.
What is the difference in cumulative number of people who have been to space between China and Japan?
0 people, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
61 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2021.
How do China and Japan rank globally for cumulative number of people who have been to space?
China ranks 3rd and Japan ranks 3rd of 39 countries.
Where does this data come from?
CSIS Aerospace Security Project (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative number of people who have been to space. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs Japan: Cumulative number of people who have been to space. Statizoid, drawing on CSIS Aerospace Security Project (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/cumulative-people-space/china/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Cumulative number of people who have been to space
Unit
people
Source
CSIS Aerospace Security Project (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
39 places, 2,379 data points, 1961–2021
Last refreshed