China vs India: Land under cereal production
Land under cereal production over time
- China
- India
How they compare
India currently reports 107.67 million hectares against 99.99 million hectares in China, a difference of 7.69 million hectares.
That makes India's figure about 1.1 times China's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 63 shared years of data; in 1961 it was India ahead.
China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 181 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 | 90.88 million hectares | 95.08 million hectares | 4.20 million hectares | India |
| 1970s | 96.22 million hectares | 101.56 million hectares | 5.34 million hectares | India |
| 1980s | 90.77 million hectares | 103.67 million hectares | 12.90 million hectares | India |
| 1990s | 91.29 million hectares | 100.42 million hectares | 9.12 million hectares | India |
| 2000s | 83.32 million hectares | 99.05 million hectares | 15.74 million hectares | India |
| 2010s | 96.70 million hectares | 98.64 million hectares | 1.95 million hectares | India |
| 2020s | 99.33 million hectares | 101.11 million hectares | 1.79 million hectares | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher land under cereal production, China or India?
- India, at 107.67 million hectares against 99.99 million hectares in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in land under cereal production between China and India?
- 7.69 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 land under cereal production?
- China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 181 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as Land under cereal production (hectares). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Land under cereal production refers to harvested area, although some countries report only sown or cultivated area. Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains. Production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded.