France vs Japan: Annual number of objects launched into space
France
25 objects
in 2025
Japan
30 objects
in 2025
France rank
6th
Japan rank
4th
Annual number of objects launched into space over time
- France
- Japan
How they compare
Japan currently reports 30 objects against 25 objects in France, a difference of 5 objects.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.2 times France's.
The two have swapped places 13 times across 40 shared years of data; in 1970 it was France ahead.
France ranks 6th and Japan ranks 4th of 50 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, France averaged higher in 1 and Japan in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.67 objects | 1.83 objects | 0.8333 objects | France |
| 1980s | 1.25 objects | 2.75 objects | 1.5 objects | Japan |
| 1990s | 2 objects | 3.12 objects | 1.12 objects | Japan |
| 2000s | 2.71 objects | 7.14 objects | 4.43 objects | Japan |
| 2010s | 6.22 objects | 12.89 objects | 6.67 objects | Japan |
| 2020s | 13.67 objects | 19.5 objects | 5.83 objects | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual number of objects launched into space, France or Japan?
- Japan, at 30 objects against 25 objects in France as of 2025.
- What is the difference in annual number of objects launched into space between France and Japan?
- 5 objects, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Japan?
- 40 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do France and Japan rank globally for annual number of objects launched into space?
- France ranks 6th 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.