INDEPENDENT FIELD ARCHIVE03 — Statistics and Trends
All figures below are as-published by the bodies named. Do not blend them into one global number — the definitions differ (see caveats at the end).
France — GEIPAN (CNES), the reference dataset
CNES key figures (page updated 7 July 2025) for all cases on file:
| Classification | Share |
|---|---|
| Clearly identified | 24.6% |
| Probably identified | 39.7% |
| Unidentified — lack of data | 32.4% |
| Unidentified — after investigation | 3.3% |
Supporting context: GEIPAN's own site states ~10% of cases get an on-site investigation, and that over the last decade the unexplained-after-investigation rate has run near 2%. Earlier CNES statements quoted ~28% unidentified (2007) — the drop reflects methodology tightening plus better case data, not a change in the sky. Reported case volume has grown (3,000+ cases cumulative, with geolocated case archives public; the case database is downloadable from cnes-geipan.fr).
Use this as the pack's headline honest statistic: in the country with the best data, ~3% survives investigation as genuinely unidentified.
United States — AARO (DoD)
| Reporting period | New reports | Resolved | Unresolved | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 (2 Jun 2024 – 30 May 2025) | 319 | 114 | 205 | Also cleared 256 older cases; 238 new resolutions attributed to satellite flaring using new 3D modelling tools; report described ~100 airborne UAP and 2 likely-uncrewed surface systems |
| FY2024 (2023–24) | 757 | 292 | — | Volume spike driven by reporting-procedure changes |
AARO states small metallic orbs are among the most commonly reported UAP types. Declassified releases are published in batches on war.gov/UFO — seven releases as of October 2026, including Defense Intelligence Reference Documents on warp drives, wormholes, antigravity and invisibility cloaking, plus Middle East mission reports (e.g. six small spherical objects "frequently changing direction", 2025).
Civilian reporting volume (use carefully)
| Org | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| NUFORC | 200,000th report logged | Aug 2026, announced 7 Sept 2026 |
| NUFORC | coverage: every US state + most of the world's countries | as of 2026 |
| NUFORC | >2,000 sightings filed | first half of 2025 |
| NUFORC | 2,565 events logged | 2025 (first 7 months, per MUFON comparison) |
| MUFON | "robust" but trailing NUFORC over the same 2025 window | 2025 |
NUFORC's 52-year history (founded 1974) makes it the longest-running civilian witness archive. Its strength is breadth; its weakness is unverified single-witness submissions.
Numbers you can defend (for the site's stats block)
Replace the placeholder 2,914 / 187 / 41 / 6% with any of these, each traceable:
- 200,000 — civilian reports in one archive (NUFORC, 1974–2026)
- ~3,000 — cases formally investigated by a national agency (GEIPAN, 1977–2026)
- 3.3% — share still unidentified after investigation (GEIPAN)
- 32.4% — share unidentifiable because the data is too thin (GEIPAN)
- 319 / 205 — new reports / left unresolved in a single year (AARO FY2025)
- 12+ — countries that have run a state UAP investigation
- 3 — countries with a continuously operating official body since the 1970s–90s (France, Chile, Uruguay), joined by Argentina's CEFAE (2011) and Peru's DIFAA (revived 2013)
Caveats to print next to any number
- Definitions differ: GEIPAN "unidentified" is post-investigation; AARO "unresolved" includes cases with insufficient data. They are not the same numerator.
- Population and reporting culture drive volume far more than any physical effect.
- A rising resolution rate (AARO's FY2025) reflects analysis capability (satellite-flare modelling) and case backlog processing, not a change in what is being seen.