Arable land in China
China: Arable land was 108.43 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
108.43 million hectares
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
4th
of 206 countries
All-time high
124.88 million hectares
in 1991
All-time low
96.17 million hectares
in 1980
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.
Analysis
In 2023, arable land in China stood at 108.43 million hectares.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in China peaked at 124.88 million hectares in 1991 and was at its lowest, 96.17 million hectares, in 1980.
China ranks 4th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in China, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 102.60 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 102.30 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1963 | 102.10 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 101.90 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 101.65 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 101.20 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1967 | 100.72 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 100.24 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 99.76 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 99.28 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 98.85 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 98.39 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 97.92 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 98.46 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 96.99 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1976 | 96.80 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 96.62 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 96.43 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 96.30 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 96.17 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 96.79 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 101.70 million hectares | +5.1% |
| 1983 | 107.30 million hectares | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 114.00 million hectares | +6.2% |
| 1985 | 120.10 million hectares | +5.4% |
| 1986 | 120.50 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 120.20 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 120.90 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 122.20 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 123.80 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 124.88 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 122.90 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 121.30 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 120.70 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 119.58 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 119.34 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 119.04 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 119.04 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 119.04 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 119.04 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 119.63 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 120.03 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 120.22 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 120.42 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 120.66 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 121.00 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 120.95 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 121.19 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 121.39 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 120.13 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 118.68 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 117.33 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 116.38 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 115.60 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 114.87 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 113.45 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 111.63 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 110.49 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 108.94 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 108.81 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 108.97 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 108.56 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 108.43 million hectares | -0.1% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 108.43 million hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.03 million hectares, 105.5× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- China's 108.43 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 94,150 hectares, 1151.6× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 101.39 million hectares | 99.76 million hectares | 102.60 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 97.60 million hectares | 96.30 million hectares | 99.28 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 111.99 million hectares | 96.17 million hectares | 122.20 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 120.96 million hectares | 119.04 million hectares | 124.88 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 120.45 million hectares | 119.04 million hectares | 121.39 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 114.75 million hectares | 108.94 million hectares | 120.13 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 108.69 million hectares | 108.43 million hectares | 108.97 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 arable land in China?
- Arable land in China was 108.43 million hectares 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 124.88 million hectares in 1991.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 96.17 million hectares in 1980.
- How does China rank for arable land?
- China ranks 4th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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). 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 (in hectares) 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.