Arable land in China
China: Arable land was 0.0769 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0769 hectares per person
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
133rd
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.1554 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.0769 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in China, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in hectares per person.
Analysis
In 2023, arable land in China stood at 0.0769 hectares per person. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in China peaked at 0.1554 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.0769 hectares per person, in 2023.
China ranks 133rd of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in China, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.1554 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.1537 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1963 | 0.1496 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1964 | 0.1459 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1965 | 0.1421 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1966 | 0.1376 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1967 | 0.1335 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1968 | 0.1294 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1969 | 0.1253 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1970 | 0.1213 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1971 | 0.1175 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1972 | 0.1141 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1973 | 0.111 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1974 | 0.1094 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1975 | 0.1058 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1976 | 0.104 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1977 | 0.1024 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1978 | 0.1009 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1979 | 0.0994 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 0.098 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 0.0974 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 0.1008 hectares per person | +3.5% |
| 1983 | 0.1049 hectares per person | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 0.11 hectares per person | +4.9% |
| 1985 | 0.1143 hectares per person | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 0.113 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 0.1109 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 0.1097 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 0.1092 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 0.1091 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 0.1085 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 0.1055 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 0.1029 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 0.1013 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 0.0992 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 0.098 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 0.0968 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 0.0959 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 0.095 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 0.0943 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 0.0941 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 0.0937 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 0.0933 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 0.0929 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 0.0925 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 0.0923 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 0.0918 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 0.0915 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 0.0912 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 0.0898 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 0.0882 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 0.0866 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 0.0854 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 0.0843 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 0.0832 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.0818 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 0.08 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 0.0788 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 0.0774 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 0.0771 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.0772 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 0.0769 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 0.0769 hectares per person | -0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 0.0769 hectares per person is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.1102 hectares per person, 70% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- China's 0.0769 hectares per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0406 hectares per person, 1.9× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1414 hectares per person | 0.1253 hectares per person | 0.1554 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.1086 hectares per person | 0.0994 hectares per person | 0.1213 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1068 hectares per person | 0.0974 hectares per person | 0.1143 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1012 hectares per person | 0.095 hectares per person | 0.1091 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0928 hectares per person | 0.0912 hectares per person | 0.0943 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0835 hectares per person | 0.0774 hectares per person | 0.0898 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.077 hectares per person | 0.0769 hectares per person | 0.0772 hectares per person | 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 arable land in China?
- Arable land in China was 0.0769 hectares per person in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest arable land recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1554 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0769 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does China rank for arable land?
- China ranks 133rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Arable land (hectares per person). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Arable land (hectares per person) includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded.