China vs Italy: Annual number of objects launched into space
China
374 objects
in 2025
Italy
30 objects
in 2025
China rank
2nd
Italy rank
4th
Annual number of objects launched into space over time
- China
- Italy
How they compare
China currently reports 374 objects against 30 objects in Italy, a difference of 344 objects.
That makes China's figure about 12.5 times Italy's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1971 it was Italy ahead.
China ranks 2nd and Italy ranks 4th of 50 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Italy | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1 objects | 1 objects | 0 objects | — |
| 1980s | 4 objects | 1 objects | 3 objects | China |
| 1990s | 3.4 objects | 1.4 objects | 2 objects | China |
| 2000s | 8.57 objects | 1.57 objects | 7 objects | China |
| 2010s | 38.8 objects | 1.9 objects | 36.9 objects | China |
| 2020s | 202.5 objects | 14 objects | 188.5 objects | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual number of objects launched into space, China or Italy?
- China, at 374 objects against 30 objects in Italy as of 2025.
- What is the difference in annual number of objects launched into space between China and Italy?
- 344 objects, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Italy?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2025.
- How do China and Italy rank globally for annual number of objects launched into space?
- China ranks 2nd and Italy ranks 4th 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 Annual 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
Annual number of satellites, probes, landers, crewed spacecrafts, and space station flight elements, launched into Earth orbit or beyond.