In 2025, 70% of the spacecraft put into orbit were Starlink internet satellites
That is 3,169 of 4,525. Meanwhile 26% of the world's people do not use the internet, by the 2025 estimate.
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One satellite internet network now makes up most of what humanity puts into orbit in a year. On the ground, not everyone uses the internet: the ITU estimate is about three people in four.
Top bar: Starlink's share of all spacecraft that successful launches put into orbit in 2025 (the rest are other countries' and companies' satellites, crewed ships, probes). Bottom bar: the share of the world's people who do not use the internet. The two bars have different wholes: spacecraft and people.
- United States: Starlink satellites launched satellites a year
2025: 3,169
GCAT — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (J. McDowell)
- World: Satellites and spacecraft put into orbit payloads a year
2025: 4,525
GCAT — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (J. McDowell)
- World: Internet users % of population
2025: 73.6
Jonathan McDowell's GCAT catalogue: payloads without stages or debris, successful launches, by launch year. Share = Starlink satellites / all spacecraft worldwide. Internet users: International Telecommunication Union estimate via the World Bank, share of population.
These are launches, not satellites in service: old ones are deorbited. People stay offline for many reasons, no signal, money, device or need; the card does not say the satellites change that or fail to.
A question for this picture
How many spacecraft a year did the world launch before Starlink?