China vs United States: Agricultural area over the long-term
China
526.33 million hectares
in 2025
United States
418.11 million hectares
in 2025
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd
Agricultural area over the long-term over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 526.33 million hectares against 418.11 million hectares in United States, a difference of 108.22 million hectares.
That makes China's figure about 1.3 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was China ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, China averaged higher in 32 and United States in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 33.70 million hectares | 1.47 million hectares | 32.24 million hectares | China |
| 1100s | 81.52 million hectares | 1.58 million hectares | 79.94 million hectares | China |
| 1200s | 92.01 million hectares | 1.75 million hectares | 90.26 million hectares | China |
| 1300s | 70.95 million hectares | 1.89 million hectares | 69.06 million hectares | China |
| 1400s | 62.75 million hectares | 2.09 million hectares | 60.66 million hectares | China |
| 1500s | 79.26 million hectares | 2.26 million hectares | 77.00 million hectares | China |
| 1600s | 83.88 million hectares | 1.04 million hectares | 82.84 million hectares | China |
| 1700s | 86.40 million hectares | 4.94 million hectares | 81.46 million hectares | China |
| 1710s | 90.29 million hectares | 6.13 million hectares | 84.16 million hectares | China |
| 1720s | 98.28 million hectares | 7.41 million hectares | 90.87 million hectares | China |
| 1730s | 102.11 million hectares | 8.79 million hectares | 93.32 million hectares | China |
| 1740s | 108.34 million hectares | 10.56 million hectares | 97.78 million hectares | China |
| 1750s | 121.94 million hectares | 12.31 million hectares | 109.63 million hectares | China |
| 1760s | 129.25 million hectares | 15.30 million hectares | 113.95 million hectares | China |
| 1770s | 138.27 million hectares | 17.57 million hectares | 120.69 million hectares | China |
| 1780s | 159.65 million hectares | 20.28 million hectares | 139.37 million hectares | China |
| 1790s | 169.75 million hectares | 23.69 million hectares | 146.06 million hectares | China |
| 1800s | 169.14 million hectares | 29.83 million hectares | 139.31 million hectares | China |
| 1810s | 189.75 million hectares | 35.64 million hectares | 154.12 million hectares | China |
| 1820s | 196.73 million hectares | 42.71 million hectares | 154.02 million hectares | China |
| 1830s | 210.56 million hectares | 51.68 million hectares | 158.88 million hectares | China |
| 1840s | 219.05 million hectares | 62.65 million hectares | 156.40 million hectares | China |
| 1850s | 226.04 million hectares | 74.63 million hectares | 151.41 million hectares | China |
| 1860s | 223.69 million hectares | 103.61 million hectares | 120.08 million hectares | China |
| 1870s | 200.61 million hectares | 107.22 million hectares | 93.39 million hectares | China |
| 1880s | 202.45 million hectares | 175.20 million hectares | 27.25 million hectares | China |
| 1890s | 208.47 million hectares | 208.93 million hectares | 460,000 hectares | United States |
| 1900s | 219.26 million hectares | 289.62 million hectares | 70.36 million hectares | United States |
| 1910s | 231.73 million hectares | 319.87 million hectares | 88.14 million hectares | United States |
| 1920s | 253.46 million hectares | 340.56 million hectares | 87.10 million hectares | United States |
| 1930s | 263.79 million hectares | 370.05 million hectares | 106.26 million hectares | United States |
| 1940s | 283.96 million hectares | 403.37 million hectares | 119.41 million hectares | United States |
| 1950s | 335.48 million hectares | 442.94 million hectares | 107.46 million hectares | United States |
| 1960s | 371.45 million hectares | 439.60 million hectares | 68.15 million hectares | United States |
| 1970s | 436.18 million hectares | 432.06 million hectares | 4.12 million hectares | China |
| 1980s | 493.63 million hectares | 429.42 million hectares | 64.21 million hectares | China |
| 1990s | 529.85 million hectares | 420.32 million hectares | 109.53 million hectares | China |
| 2000s | 527.87 million hectares | 413.32 million hectares | 114.55 million hectares | China |
| 2010s | 525.99 million hectares | 416.24 million hectares | 109.75 million hectares | China |
| 2020s | 526.23 million hectares | 418.11 million hectares | 108.12 million hectares | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher agricultural area over the long-term, China or United States?
- China, at 526.33 million hectares against 418.11 million hectares in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in agricultural area over the long-term between China and United States?
- 108.22 million hectares, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do China and United States rank globally for agricultural area over the long-term?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 202 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2025) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Agricultural area over the long-term. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total agricultural area for each separate country over time.