Since the first human spaceflight by the Soviet Union, citizens of 40 countries have flown in space. For each nationality, the launch date of the first mission is listed. The list is based on the nationality of the person at the time of the launch. Only 3 of the 40 "first flyers" have been women (Helen Sharman for the United Kingdom in 1991, Anousheh Ansari for Iran in 2006, and Yi So-yeon for South Korea in 2008). Only three nations (Soviet Union/Russia, U.S., China) have launched their own manned spacecraft, with the Soviets/Russians and the American programs providing rides to other nations' astronauts. Twenty-six "first flights" occurred on Soviet or Russian flights while the United States carried thirteen.
Note: All dates given are UTC. Countries indicated in bold have achieved independent human spaceflight capability.
The above list uses the nationality at the time of launch. Lists with differing criteria might include the following people:
The Soviet Union's Yuri Gagarin, the first person in space.
Alan Shepard from the United States of America, the second nation to send a person into space.
Yang Liwei of China, the third nation to launch a person into space.
Vladimír Remek of Czechoslovakia the first Czechoslovak national in space.