China vs United States: Annual number of objects launched into space
China
374 objects
in 2025
United States
3,708 objects
in 2025
China rank
2nd
United States rank
1st
Annual number of objects launched into space over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 3,708 objects against 374 objects in China, a difference of 3,334 objects.
That makes United States's figure about 9.9 times China's.
Across all 50 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 50 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.5 objects | 31.17 objects | 29.67 objects | United States |
| 1980s | 2.12 objects | 20.88 objects | 18.75 objects | United States |
| 1990s | 4.6 objects | 51 objects | 46.4 objects | United States |
| 2000s | 8.4 objects | 33.8 objects | 25.4 objects | United States |
| 2010s | 38.8 objects | 132.5 objects | 93.7 objects | United States |
| 2020s | 202.5 objects | 2,059 objects | 1,856 objects | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual number of objects launched into space, China or United States?
- United States, at 3,708 objects against 374 objects in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in annual number of objects launched into space between China and United States?
- 3,334 objects, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 50 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do China and United States rank globally for annual number of objects launched into space?
- China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st 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.