China vs Japan: Annual number of objects launched into space
China
374 objects
in 2025
Japan
30 objects
in 2025
China rank
2nd
Japan rank
4th
Annual number of objects launched into space over time
- China
- Japan
How they compare
China currently reports 374 objects against 30 objects in Japan, a difference of 344 objects.
That makes China's figure about 12.5 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 13 times across 50 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Japan ahead.
China ranks 2nd and Japan ranks 4th of 50 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, China averaged higher in 4 and Japan in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.5 objects | 1.83 objects | 0.3333 objects | Japan |
| 1980s | 2.12 objects | 2.62 objects | 0.5 objects | Japan |
| 1990s | 4.6 objects | 3.6 objects | 1 objects | China |
| 2000s | 8.4 objects | 6.6 objects | 1.8 objects | China |
| 2010s | 38.8 objects | 12 objects | 26.8 objects | China |
| 2020s | 202.5 objects | 19.5 objects | 183 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 Japan?
- China, at 374 objects against 30 objects in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in annual number of objects launched into space between China and Japan?
- 344 objects, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
- 50 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do China and Japan rank globally for annual number of objects launched into space?
- China ranks 2nd and Japan 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.