Interactive Tables and Charts
Data Economy
CNES Space Spending by Type, 2005-2021
Including defense spending and contributions to third parties such as ESA, France’s total space spending in 2021 was the fourth-largest in the world behind the U.S., China, and Japan.
Expenditures by program are not available yet for 2022 but launch vehicle development tends to be the largest portion of CNES’ budget. From 2017 to 2021, the Ariane program composed an average of 32% of the agency’s non-ESA expenditures.
Space Force Budget by Category, 2021-2023
In recent years, space has reestablished itself as an important component of defense strategy alongside the establishment of the Space Force and large budget increases for space programs. The Space Force received $1.7 billion more than originally requested for fiscal year 2023, resulting in $7.1 billion (39%) more than the enacted 2022 budget.
Estimated U.S. Department of Defense Space Spending, 2005-2022
This developing space strategy is reflected in growing military space spending by the United States, with the Pentagon more than doubling space budgets from $19.7 billion in 2005 to an estimated $41.4 billion in 2022.
NASA Budget, 1959-2021
NASA has passed a series of large budget increases over the past few years. However, adjusting for inflation shows that U.S. civil space spending is still below earlier peaks in program history.
Pentagon space spending has more than doubled since 2005
Space Foundation records show Pentagon space spending has more than doubled since 2005 from $19.7 billion to $41.4 billion
Military space spending at four-year intervals
Chart shows military space spending at four-year intervals during President Barack Obama’s two terms, President Donald Trump’s term, and President Joe Biden’s current term.
Civil Space Spending in Africa (USD), 2021
Although the continent’s total space spending is a small fraction of global spending, Africa is quickly becoming a space powerhouse. The African Union’s Agenda 2063 includes the Africa Outer Space Strategy as one of 15 flagship projects “to [accelerate] Africa’s economic growth and development.”
Non-NASA U.S. Civil Space Spending by Agency, 2020-2022
Civil government spending in the U.S. increased 3%. The Department of the Interior’s space budget was held flat in 2021, while the Department of Commerce and the National Science Foundation only increased spending by 1% and 0.3%, respectively. The Department of Transportation, which has the smallest share of U.S. civil space spending, had its budget slashed by 21% in 2021.
Civil Space Spending in Latin America, 2021
Space spending for the five Latin American countries included in Space Foundation analysis grew 23% to $121 million. Out of the five nations, two saw large budget increases while the other three reduced spending in their respective currencies.
Global Space Activity by Category, 2005-2021
For this year’s analysis, Space Foundation incorporated historical data and 2022 government spending to project the global space economy’s growth over the next five years. Using our methodology, we predict that the total could reach $639 billion by 2026. Our modeling takes a more conservative approach based on average growth of established sectors and does not factor in developing sectors such as lunar habitation or still exploratory concepts such as asteroid mining.