China vs India: Cropland area
China
127.58 million hectares
in 2023
India
168.32 million hectares
in 2023
China rank
3rd
India rank
1st
Cropland area over time
- China
- India
How they compare
India currently reports 168.32 million hectares against 127.58 million hectares in China, a difference of 40.74 million hectares.
That makes India's figure about 1.3 times China's.
Across all 63 years both countries report, India has been ahead every year.
China ranks 3rd and India ranks 1st of 219 countries.
India has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 103.36 million hectares | 162.84 million hectares | 59.48 million hectares | India |
| 1970s | 100.28 million hectares | 166.48 million hectares | 66.19 million hectares | India |
| 1980s | 116.95 million hectares | 169.11 million hectares | 52.16 million hectares | India |
| 1990s | 130.45 million hectares | 170.06 million hectares | 39.61 million hectares | India |
| 2000s | 132.71 million hectares | 169.71 million hectares | 37.00 million hectares | India |
| 2010s | 131.25 million hectares | 169.19 million hectares | 37.95 million hectares | India |
| 2020s | 127.63 million hectares | 168.19 million hectares | 40.56 million hectares | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cropland area, China or India?
- India, at 168.32 million hectares against 127.58 million hectares in China as of 2023.
- What is the difference in cropland area between China and India?
- 40.74 million hectares, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
- How do China and India rank globally for cropland area?
- China ranks 3rd and India ranks 1st of 219 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 Cropland area. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.