Agricultural land use in China
China: Agricultural land use was 520.41 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
520.41 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
2nd
of 227 countries
All-time high
528.22 million hectares
in 2009
All-time low
342.35 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land use in China, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, agricultural land use in China stood at 520.41 million hectares.
That represents a change of down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use in China peaked at 528.22 million hectares in 2009 and was at its lowest, 342.35 million hectares, in 1961.
That places China 2nd out of 227 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land use in China, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 342.35 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 345.10 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 347.95 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 350.80 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 354.60 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 358.20 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 361.80 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 365.40 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1969 | 370.00 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 374.60 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 379.25 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 383.87 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 389.48 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 396.10 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 400.71 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 406.60 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 412.50 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 418.47 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 423.04 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 427.60 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 432.91 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 442.52 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 452.93 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 464.54 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 476.35 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 482.46 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 487.77 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 493.38 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 499.49 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 505.69 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 511.38 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 514.31 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 518.22 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 522.83 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 522.83 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 522.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 522.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 522.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 522.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 522.87 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 523.47 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 524.06 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 524.65 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 525.25 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 525.84 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 526.44 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 527.03 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 527.62 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 528.22 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 527.46 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 526.71 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 525.96 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 525.21 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 524.46 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 523.70 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 522.95 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 522.20 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 521.45 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 520.70 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 520.60 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 520.51 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 520.41 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 520.41 million hectares | +0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 520.41 million hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.20 million hectares, 162.6× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 520.41 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 249,300 hectares, 2087.5× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 355.13 million hectares | 342.35 million hectares | 370.00 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 398.46 million hectares | 374.60 million hectares | 423.04 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 465.99 million hectares | 427.60 million hectares | 499.49 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 518.68 million hectares | 505.69 million hectares | 522.87 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 525.55 million hectares | 522.87 million hectares | 528.22 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 524.08 million hectares | 520.70 million hectares | 527.46 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 520.48 million hectares | 520.41 million hectares | 520.60 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0666 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 923.03 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3366 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use in China?
- Agricultural land use in China was 520.41 million hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agricultural land use recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 528.22 million hectares in 2009.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 342.35 million hectares in 1961.
- How does China rank for agricultural land use?
- China ranks 2nd out of 227 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Agricultural land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Land used for cultivation of crops and animal husbandry. The total of areas under cropland and permanent meadows and pastures.