China vs India: Cereal production
China
651.36 million tonnes
in 2024
India
391.12 million tonnes
in 2024
China rank
1st
India rank
3rd
Cereal production over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 651.36 million tonnes against 391.12 million tonnes in India, a difference of 260.23 million tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 1.7 times India's.
Across all 64 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 3rd of 185 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 151.97 million tonnes | 91.42 million tonnes | 60.55 million tonnes | China |
| 1970s | 234.74 million tonnes | 121.91 million tonnes | 112.83 million tonnes | China |
| 1980s | 333.38 million tonnes | 162.55 million tonnes | 170.83 million tonnes | China |
| 1990s | 421.98 million tonnes | 210.25 million tonnes | 211.73 million tonnes | China |
| 2000s | 428.19 million tonnes | 240.75 million tonnes | 187.44 million tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 574.43 million tonnes | 297.66 million tonnes | 276.77 million tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 634.18 million tonnes | 363.09 million tonnes | 271.09 million tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cereal production, China or India?
- China, at 651.36 million tonnes against 391.12 million tonnes in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cereal production between China and India?
- 260.23 million tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 64 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2024.
- How do China and India rank globally for cereal production?
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 3rd of 185 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cereal production. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains.