Cumulative number of people who have been to space in United States

United States: Cumulative number of people who have been to space was 347 people in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
347 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 39 countries
All-time high
347 people
in 2020
All-time low
2 people
in 1961
Years of data
61
1961–2021

Cumulative number of people who have been to space in United States, 1961–2021

0100200300196119912021

Source: CSIS Aerospace Security Project (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for cumulative number of people who have been to space in United States is 347 people, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 61 years on record.

The figure is up 4.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, cumulative number of people who have been to space in United States peaked at 347 people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2 people, in 1961.

That places United States 1st out of 39 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Cumulative number of people who have been to space in United States, year by year

Annual values for Cumulative number of people who have been to space in United States, 1961 to 2021.
Year people Change
1961 2 people
1962 5 people +150.0%
1963 7 people +40.0%
1964 7 people +0.0%
1965 14 people +100.0%
1966 20 people +42.9%
1967 20 people +0.0%
1968 23 people +15.0%
1969 25 people +8.7%
1970 27 people +8.0%
1971 31 people +14.8%
1972 35 people +12.9%
1973 42 people +20.0%
1974 42 people +0.0%
1975 44 people +4.8%
1976 44 people +0.0%
1977 44 people +0.0%
1978 44 people +0.0%
1979 44 people +0.0%
1980 44 people +0.0%
1981 47 people +6.8%
1982 52 people +10.6%
1983 66 people +26.9%
1984 85 people +28.8%
1985 117 people +37.6%
1986 123 people +5.1%
1987 123 people +0.0%
1988 125 people +1.6%
1989 136 people +8.8%
1990 149 people +9.6%
1991 167 people +12.1%
1992 179 people +7.2%
1993 194 people +8.4%
1994 204 people +5.2%
1995 216 people +5.9%
1996 223 people +3.2%
1997 232 people +4.0%
1998 242 people +4.3%
1999 245 people +1.2%
2000 249 people +1.6%
2001 258 people +3.6%
2002 269 people +4.3%
2003 272 people +1.1%
2004 275 people +1.1%
2005 277 people +0.7%
2006 286 people +3.2%
2007 295 people +3.1%
2008 310 people +5.1%
2009 329 people +6.1%
2010 333 people +1.2%
2011 333 people +0.0%
2012 333 people +0.0%
2013 334 people +0.3%
2014 335 people +0.3%
2015 336 people +0.3%
2016 337 people +0.3%
2017 340 people +0.9%
2018 342 people +0.6%
2019 346 people +1.2%
2020 347 people +0.3%
2021 347 people +0.0%

United States compared with similar countries

  • United States's 347 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 2 people, 173.5× the median. (24 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Cumulative number of people who have been to space in United States changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1962 +150.0% 2 people 5 people
1965 +100.0% 7 people 14 people
1966 +42.9% 14 people 20 people
1963 +40.0% 5 people 7 people
1985 +37.6% 85 people 117 people

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 13.67 people 2 people 25 people 9
1970s 39.7 people 27 people 44 people 10
1980s 91.8 people 44 people 136 people 10
1990s 205.1 people 149 people 245 people 10
2000s 282 people 249 people 329 people 10
2010s 336.9 people 333 people 346 people 10
2020s 347 people 347 people 347 people 2

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 2 Russia 124 people compare
  2. 3 China 11 people compare
  3. 3 Germany 11 people compare
  4. 3 Japan 11 people compare

See the full ranking of 39 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is cumulative number of people who have been to space in United States?
Cumulative number of people who have been to space in United States was 347 people in 2021, according to CSIS Aerospace Security Project (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest cumulative number of people who have been to space recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 347 people in 2020.
What is the lowest cumulative number of people who have been to space recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 2 people in 1961.
How does United States rank for cumulative number of people who have been to space?
United States ranks 1st out of 39 countries with data for 2021.
Is cumulative number of people who have been to space rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from CSIS Aerospace Security Project (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Cumulative number of people who have been to space. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Cumulative number of people who have been to space in United States. Statizoid, drawing on CSIS Aerospace Security Project (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/cumulative-people-space/united-states/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/cumulative-people-space/united-states/">Cumulative number of people who have been to space in United States</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Cumulative number of people who have been to space
Unit
people
Source
CSIS Aerospace Security Project (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
39 places, 2,379 data points, 1961–2021
Last refreshed