China vs United States: Change in food supply, population, and agricultural land use
China
5.02 trillion kilocalories per day
in 2023
United States
1.36 trillion kilocalories per day
in 2023
China rank
1st
United States rank
3rd
Change in food supply, population, and agricultural land use over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 5.02 trillion kilocalories per day against 1.36 trillion kilocalories per day in United States, a difference of 3.66 trillion kilocalories per day.
That makes China's figure about 3.7 times United States's.
Across all 63 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 191 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.22 trillion kilocalories per day | 585.02 billion kilocalories per day | 630.07 billion kilocalories per day | China |
| 1970s | 1.72 trillion kilocalories per day | 676.26 billion kilocalories per day | 1.05 trillion kilocalories per day | China |
| 1980s | 2.50 trillion kilocalories per day | 799.38 billion kilocalories per day | 1.70 trillion kilocalories per day | China |
| 1990s | 3.22 trillion kilocalories per day | 962.06 billion kilocalories per day | 2.25 trillion kilocalories per day | China |
| 2000s | 3.79 trillion kilocalories per day | 1.11 trillion kilocalories per day | 2.67 trillion kilocalories per day | China |
| 2010s | 4.43 trillion kilocalories per day | 1.22 trillion kilocalories per day | 3.21 trillion kilocalories per day | China |
| 2020s | 4.90 trillion kilocalories per day | 1.33 trillion kilocalories per day | 3.57 trillion kilocalories per day | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher change in food supply, population, and agricultural land use, China or United States?
- China, at 5.02 trillion kilocalories per day against 1.36 trillion kilocalories per day in United States as of 2023.
- What is the difference in change in food supply, population, and agricultural land use between China and United States?
- 3.66 trillion kilocalories per day, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
- How do China and United States rank globally for change in food supply, population, and agricultural land use?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 191 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 Change in food supply, population, and agricultural land use. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total caloric supply of all agricultural produce, both crops and livestock. Data for world regions has been adjusted for changes in historical boundaries and limited coverage, so that long-term trends can be visualized.