Japan vs South Korea: Annual number of objects launched into space
Japan
30 objects
in 2025
South Korea
22 objects
in 2025
Japan rank
4th
South Korea rank
7th
Annual number of objects launched into space over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
Japan currently reports 30 objects against 22 objects in South Korea, a difference of 8 objects.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.4 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 20 shared years of data; in 1992 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 4th and South Korea ranks 7th of 50 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.6 objects | 1.4 objects | 1.2 objects | Japan |
| 2000s | 6.67 objects | 1.33 objects | 5.33 objects | Japan |
| 2010s | 10 objects | 4.33 objects | 5.67 objects | Japan |
| 2020s | 19.5 objects | 8.83 objects | 10.67 objects | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual number of objects launched into space, Japan or South Korea?
- Japan, at 30 objects against 22 objects in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in annual number of objects launched into space between Japan and South Korea?
- 8 objects, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 20 years are reported by both, from 1992 to 2025.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for annual number of objects launched into space?
- Japan ranks 4th and South Korea ranks 7th 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.