Cumulative number of human visits to space in United States

United States: Cumulative number of human visits to space was 865 visits in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
865 visits
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
1st
of 39 countries
All-time high
865 visits
in 2021
All-time low
2 visits
in 1961
Years of data
61
1961–2021

Cumulative number of human visits to space in United States, 1961–2021

0200400600800196119912021

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

Analysis

United States recorded 865 visits for cumulative number of human visits to space in 2021. That is the highest value across all 61 years on record.

The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, cumulative number of human visits to space in United States peaked at 865 visits in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2 visits, 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 human visits to space in United States, year by year

Annual values for Cumulative number of human visits to space in United States, 1961 to 2021.
Year visits Change
1961 2 visits
1962 5 visits +150.0%
1963 8 visits +60.0%
1964 8 visits +0.0%
1965 18 visits +125.0%
1966 28 visits +55.6%
1967 28 visits +0.0%
1968 34 visits +21.4%
1969 46 visits +35.3%
1970 49 visits +6.5%
1971 55 visits +12.2%
1972 61 visits +10.9%
1973 70 visits +14.8%
1974 70 visits +0.0%
1975 73 visits +4.3%
1976 73 visits +0.0%
1977 73 visits +0.0%
1978 73 visits +0.0%
1979 73 visits +0.0%
1980 73 visits +0.0%
1981 77 visits +5.5%
1982 85 visits +10.4%
1983 104 visits +22.4%
1984 131 visits +26.0%
1985 183 visits +39.7%
1986 193 visits +5.5%
1987 193 visits +0.0%
1988 203 visits +5.2%
1989 228 visits +12.3%
1990 260 visits +14.0%
1991 295 visits +13.5%
1992 340 visits +15.3%
1993 378 visits +11.2%
1994 417 visits +10.3%
1995 455 visits +9.1%
1996 491 visits +7.9%
1997 535 visits +9.0%
1998 562 visits +5.0%
1999 575 visits +2.3%
2000 600 visits +4.3%
2001 633 visits +5.5%
2002 662 visits +4.6%
2003 669 visits +1.1%
2004 674 visits +0.7%
2005 683 visits +1.3%
2006 702 visits +2.8%
2007 721 visits +2.7%
2008 747 visits +3.6%
2009 781 visits +4.6%
2010 804 visits +2.9%
2011 823 visits +2.4%
2012 827 visits +0.5%
2013 831 visits +0.5%
2014 835 visits +0.5%
2015 838 visits +0.4%
2016 842 visits +0.5%
2017 847 visits +0.6%
2018 851 visits +0.5%
2019 855 visits +0.5%
2020 862 visits +0.8%
2021 865 visits +0.3%

United States compared with similar countries

  • United States's 865 visits is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.5 visits, 346.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Cumulative number of human visits 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 visits 5 visits
1965 +125.0% 8 visits 18 visits
1963 +60.0% 5 visits 8 visits
1966 +55.6% 18 visits 28 visits

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 19.67 visits 2 visits 46 visits 9
1970s 67 visits 49 visits 73 visits 10
1980s 147 visits 73 visits 228 visits 10
1990s 430.8 visits 260 visits 575 visits 10
2000s 687.2 visits 600 visits 781 visits 10
2010s 835.3 visits 804 visits 855 visits 10
2020s 863.5 visits 862 visits 865 visits 2

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 2 Russia 273 visits compare
  2. 3 Japan 21 visits compare
  3. 4 France 19 visits 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 human visits to space in United States?
Cumulative number of human visits to space in United States was 865 visits in 2021, according to CSIS Aerospace Security Project (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest cumulative number of human visits to space recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 865 visits in 2021.
What is the lowest cumulative number of human visits to space recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 2 visits in 1961.
How does United States rank for cumulative number of human visits to space?
United States ranks 1st out of 39 countries with data for 2021.
Is cumulative number of human visits to space rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. 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 human visits to space. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Cumulative number of human visits 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-space-visits/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Cumulative number of human visits to space
Unit
visits
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