Italy vs Japan: Annual number of objects launched into space

Italy
30 objects
in 2025
Japan
30 objects
in 2025
Italy rank
4th
Japan rank
4th

Annual number of objects launched into space over time

  • Italy
  • Japan
0102030196419942025

How they compare

Italy currently reports 30 objects against 30 objects in Japan, a difference of 0 objects.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 32 shared years of data; in 1971 it was Japan ahead.

Italy ranks 4th and Japan ranks 4th of 50 countries.

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Italy Japan Difference Ahead
1970s 1 objects 2.33 objects 1.33 objects Japan
1980s 1 objects 2 objects 1 objects Japan
1990s 1.4 objects 2.2 objects 0.8 objects Japan
2000s 1.57 objects 6.14 objects 4.57 objects Japan
2010s 1.9 objects 12 objects 10.1 objects Japan
2020s 14 objects 19.5 objects 5.5 objects Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher annual number of objects launched into space, Italy or Japan?
Italy, at 30 objects against 30 objects in Japan as of 2025.
What is the difference in annual number of objects launched into space between Italy and Japan?
0 objects, with Italy ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and Japan?
32 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2025.
How do Italy and Japan rank globally for annual number of objects launched into space?
Italy ranks 4th 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

Indicator
Annual number of objects launched into space
Unit
objects
Source
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
52 places, 979 data points, 1957–2025
Last refreshed

Annual number of satellites, probes, landers, crewed spacecrafts, and space station flight elements, launched into Earth orbit or beyond.