Infographic: Size & Health of the UK Space Industry 2021
Updated 25 April 2022
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1. Top statistics
Total space industry income: £16.5 billion. Percentage breakdown is:
- Space applications: 74%
- Space manufacturing: 14%
- Space operations: 9%
- Ancillary services: 3%
Direct Employees: 47,000
Income from exports: £5.3 billion
Global ranking in private space investments: 2nd
Space organisations identified: 1,293
R&D expenditure: £836 million
Employees with a bachelor’s degree or higher: 73%
2. Global exports
North America: 24%
Central and South America: 4%
Rest of Europe: 48%
Middle East and North Africa: 5%
Asia, Oceania and Sub-Saharan Africa: 19%
Regional Employment
London: 27%
South East: 21%
Scotland: 18%
Rest of UK: 34%
Further statistics
Direct contribution of the UK space industry to UK GDP: £6.9 billion
Organisations expecting income growth over the next three years: 4 in 5
UK space industry labour productivity vs. national average: 2.6x
3. Credits
BryceTech
UK Space Agency
Note: Based on analysis of 1,293 UK-based space-related organisations in 2019/20. Source: BryceTech (2022), Size & Health of the UK Space Industry 2021.