(AFP Photo)
Germany and France lead Europe in civilian space spending, while the continent trails the United States in private investment and launches, according to a new OECD report.
Germany allocated about 2.5 billion euros to civilian space programs in 2025, followed by France with 2.4 billion euros and Italy with around 2 billion euros.
Italy has doubled its civilian space budget over the past 15 years. Relative to GDP, it now ranks second in Europe behind Luxembourg, overtaking France.
Defense is also driving investment. Germany plans to spend 35 billion euros on space-related defense capabilities by 2030.
Britain had Europe’s largest satellite fleet, with 757 in orbit as of June, compared with 104 for France, 80 for Italy and 65 for Germany. Private operators owned 98 percent of British satellites.
Europe attracted 12.8 percent of global private space investment in 2025, compared with 67 percent for the United States.
The United States attempted 181 orbital launches last year, China 92 and Europe eight.
