Japan vs Russia: Annual number of objects launched into space
Japan
30 objects
in 2025
Russia
89 objects
in 2025
Japan rank
4th
Russia rank
3rd
Annual number of objects launched into space over time
- Japan
- Russia
How they compare
Russia currently reports 89 objects against 30 objects in Japan, a difference of 59 objects.
That makes Russia's figure about 3.0 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 55 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Russia ahead.
Japan ranks 4th and Russia ranks 3rd of 50 countries.
Russia has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | Russia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2 objects | 102.89 objects | 100.89 objects | Russia |
| 1980s | 2.7 objects | 114.1 objects | 111.4 objects | Russia |
| 1990s | 3.6 objects | 51.4 objects | 47.8 objects | Russia |
| 2000s | 6.6 objects | 21.7 objects | 15.1 objects | Russia |
| 2010s | 12 objects | 25.4 objects | 13.4 objects | Russia |
| 2020s | 19.5 objects | 57.83 objects | 38.33 objects | Russia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual number of objects launched into space, Japan or Russia?
- Russia, at 89 objects against 30 objects in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in annual number of objects launched into space between Japan and Russia?
- 59 objects, with Russia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Russia?
- 55 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Japan and Russia rank globally for annual number of objects launched into space?
- Japan ranks 4th and Russia ranks 3rd 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.