Visualizing the World's Space Debris by Country Responsible
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Visualizing the World’s Space Debris by Country Responsible

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Every Space Debris orbiting the Earth

Space Debris: The Earth’s Orbiting Threat

Earlier in July, a suspicious object washed up on a remote beach in Western Australia. This chunk of golden metal was reported to be a piece of space debris that found its way back to Earth.

And it is not the only one. Today, thousands of defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, metal shards from collisions, and other remnants of human space exploration are orbiting the Earth at breakneck speeds.

In this graphic, Preyash Shah uses tracking data from the Space-Track.org, maintained by the U.S. Space Force, to help visualize just how much debris is currently orbiting the Earth, while identifying the biggest contributors of this celestial clutter.

Note: Many spent rocket bodies are still actively tracked and controlled by their launch authorities, and the source tracks these separately. Space debris includes spent rocket bodies that are defunct and uncontrolled.

Ranked: Countries Responsible for the Most Space Debris

According to the data, there are roughly 14,000 small, medium, and large debris objects floating about in low Earth orbit as of May 2023. And this is not counting the millions of tiny debris fragments that are too small to be tracked.

Although space debris is a global problem, certain countries have played a larger role in contributing to the clutter. In the 1950s, the U.S. and Russia (formerly USSR) led the space race with the highest number of launched space objects. In the 1970s, they were joined by China, and objects from all three countries account for the vast majority of today’s space debris:

Space Debris Contributor# of Space Debris
🇷🇺 Russia (including USSR)4,521
🇺🇸 United States4,317
🇨🇳 China4,137
🇫🇷 France370
🇮🇳 India62
🇯🇵 Japan48
🇨🇳 China / 🇧🇷 Brazil25
🇪🇺 European Space Agency22
🇨🇦 Canada5
🇦🇷 Argentina1
🇩🇪 Germany1
Other24

*China-Brazil space debris originates from various cooperational space programs over the years

The debris count of Russia—including former launches by the Soviet Union—currently stands at 4,521. But the U.S. and China are not far behind with more than 4,000 each. And though many of these are accumulated over time, thousands of debris are created in single catastrophic moments.

China’s anti-satellite test in 2007 destroyed its own weather satellite, creating 3,500 space debris pieces. Likewise, the 2009 collision between inactive Russian satellite Cosmos-2251 and operational U.S. communications satellite Iridium 33 created over 2,000 pieces of debris.

Moving at high speeds, even tiny fragments of debris can cause catastrophic collisions. And with companies like SpaceX launching expansive satellite networks, these numbers are bound to grow.

Clearer Skies on the Horizon?

Addressing the space debris issue requires a multi-faceted approach involving international cooperation, advanced technology, and responsible space practices.

Scientists and engineers are actively exploring methods to clean up debris, including concepts like space-based debris removal systems and novel deorbiting techniques.

Some space agencies like the European Space Agency are also making plans to ensure their space technology is designed with safe disposal plans to significantly reduce the accumulation of space junk.

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Environment

Ranked: The 28 Biggest Global Risks, According to the UN

Climate change inaction was the most important risk overall, ranking as the most pressing issue in three of the seven regions.

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A visualization showing the top global risks the world is facing.

Most Pressing Global Risks 2024

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

As the world confronts overlapping crises, from accelerating climate change to the unchecked spread of misinformation, global risks are increasingly interconnected, compounding one another in ways that could overwhelm current institutions and systems.

This visualization shows the top 28 most important global risk as outlined in the United Nations Global Risk Report 2024.

Risk importance combines the likelihood and severity of a risk, with top risks seen as most likely to occur with severe impacts if or when they manifest.

Rankings are based on a survey of 1,100 stakeholders across 136 countries which includes representatives of government, industry, civil society, and academia.

What is the Most Important Risk the World is Facing?

Below, we show the top 28 most important global risks and their importance scores, according to the United Nations.

RankRiskImportance ScoreCategory
1Climate Change Inaction37.2Environmental
2Large-Scale Pollution36.0Environmental
3Mis- and Disinformation35.4Political
4Natural Hazard Risks35.0Environmental
5Rise in Inequalities34.7Societal
6Biodiversity Decline34.6Environmental
7Geopolitical Tensions34.5Political
8Natural Resource Shortages34.3Environmental
9Mass Movement of People33.2Societal
10Large-Scale War32.6Political
11Biorisks32.3Societal
12New Pandemic32.1Societal
13Rule of Law Collapse32.0Political
14Cybersecurity Breakdown31.7Technological
15Global Financial Crisis31.6Economic
16Weapons of Mass Destruction31.1Political
17AI and Frontier Tech31.0Technological
18Proliferation of Non-State Actors30.8Societal
19Tech-Driven Power Concentration30.8Technological
20Social Cohesion Collapse30.4Societal
21Widespread Debt Crisis30.2Economic
22Economic Fragmentation29.1Economic
23State Sovereignty Erosion28.5Political
24Global Economic Stagnation27.9Economic
25Supply Chain Collapse27.8Economic
26Geoengineering Disasters27.5Technological
27Multilateral Institution Collapse26.3Political
28Space-Based Event23.4Environmental

Across all regions, environmental risks emerged as the highest priority, with climate change inaction and large-scale pollution both seen as highly likely and highly severe.

Climate change inaction was the most important risk overall, ranking as the most pressing issue in three of the seven regions.

In total, 84% of respondents said mis- and disinformation is already occurring, making it the most immediate risk today, according to the UN.

Mis- and disinformation also ranked as the top risk in the next two years, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report.

While environmental concerns were top of mind for all regions, other perceptions varied by region. For example, in North Africa and Asia, concerns about cybersecurity breakdowns and artificial intelligence (AI) were among the top 10 risks, unlike in other regions.

Cybersecurity breakdowns were among the least prepared-for risks, with a preparedness score of just 3.9 out of 7. The only risk the world is less prepared for is a potential space-based event.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about risks the world is facing in the near and long term, check out this graphic that visualizes the top global risks, as ranked by the World Economic Forum.

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