The United States is the largest contributor of female astronauts in the world.

On June 16, 1963, Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel to space. At the time, 26-year-old Valentina participated in the Soviet Union's Vostok 6 expedition.

Twenty years later, the United States followed Russia's lead, sending Sally Ride as the first American woman into space.

According to data compiled by Statista, the United States has sent the most female astronauts/cosmonauts into space, with a total of 59.

Russia follows with 7 female astronauts sent into space.

Meanwhile, Canada, China, and Japan have each sent 2 female astronauts.

Statista also highlights a significant disparity between the number of male and female astronauts who have gone into space.

According to *World Space Flight*, as compiled by Statista, there are currently 325 male astronauts on space missions.

Meanwhile, there are currently only 3 women from the United States and 1 woman from Russia who are space tourists.

Here are the top 10 countries that have sent the most female astronauts into space as of June 2023:

1. United States: 59 astronauts
2. Russia: 7 astronauts
3. Canada: 2 astronauts
4. China: 2 astronauts
5. Japan: 2 astronauts
6. United Kingdom: 1 astronaut
7. France: 1 astronaut
8. Italy: 1 astronaut
9. Saudi Arabia: 1 astronaut
10. South Korea: 1 astronaut

(Also read: The Countries Contributing the Most Space Junk)