Barley yields in China
China: Barley yields was 3.68 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
3.68 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
39th
of 105 countries
All-time high
4.15 tonnes per hectare
in 2005
All-time low
1.05 tonnes per hectare
in 1966
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Barley yields in China, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Broadberry et al. (2015); Brassley (2000) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per hectare.
Analysis
The most recent figure for barley yields in China is 3.68 tonnes per hectare, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and down 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, barley yields in China peaked at 4.15 tonnes per hectare in 2005 and was at its lowest, 1.05 tonnes per hectare, in 1966.
That places China 39th out of 105 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Barley yields in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.05 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 1.14 tonnes per hectare | +8.8% |
| 1963 | 1.08 tonnes per hectare | -5.8% |
| 1964 | 1.26 tonnes per hectare | +17.4% |
| 1965 | 1.48 tonnes per hectare | +17.0% |
| 1966 | 1.05 tonnes per hectare | -29.2% |
| 1967 | 1.44 tonnes per hectare | +37.3% |
| 1968 | 1.07 tonnes per hectare | -25.7% |
| 1969 | 1.05 tonnes per hectare | -1.5% |
| 1970 | 1.14 tonnes per hectare | +8.3% |
| 1971 | 1.26 tonnes per hectare | +10.6% |
| 1972 | 1.27 tonnes per hectare | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 1.08 tonnes per hectare | -15.1% |
| 1974 | 1.48 tonnes per hectare | +37.6% |
| 1975 | 1.76 tonnes per hectare | +18.8% |
| 1976 | 2.01 tonnes per hectare | +14.4% |
| 1977 | 1.98 tonnes per hectare | -2.0% |
| 1978 | 2.23 tonnes per hectare | +12.9% |
| 1979 | 2.49 tonnes per hectare | +11.7% |
| 1980 | 2.18 tonnes per hectare | -12.4% |
| 1981 | 2.58 tonnes per hectare | +18.5% |
| 1982 | 2.81 tonnes per hectare | +8.7% |
| 1983 | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | -10.9% |
| 1984 | 2.75 tonnes per hectare | +10.0% |
| 1985 | 2.65 tonnes per hectare | -3.7% |
| 1986 | 2.29 tonnes per hectare | -13.5% |
| 1987 | 2.83 tonnes per hectare | +23.5% |
| 1988 | 3.06 tonnes per hectare | +8.2% |
| 1989 | 2.61 tonnes per hectare | -14.8% |
| 1990 | 2.52 tonnes per hectare | -3.5% |
| 1991 | 2.55 tonnes per hectare | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 2.75 tonnes per hectare | +8.0% |
| 1993 | 2.77 tonnes per hectare | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 2.81 tonnes per hectare | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 2.6 tonnes per hectare | -7.6% |
| 1996 | 2.68 tonnes per hectare | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 2.62 tonnes per hectare | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | -4.9% |
| 1999 | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 2.47 tonnes per hectare | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 3.76 tonnes per hectare | +51.9% |
| 2002 | 3.63 tonnes per hectare | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 3.56 tonnes per hectare | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 4.1 tonnes per hectare | +15.2% |
| 2005 | 4.15 tonnes per hectare | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 3.76 tonnes per hectare | -9.2% |
| 2007 | 3.51 tonnes per hectare | -6.6% |
| 2008 | 3.43 tonnes per hectare | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 3.55 tonnes per hectare | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 3.53 tonnes per hectare | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 3.57 tonnes per hectare | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 3.37 tonnes per hectare | -5.6% |
| 2013 | 3.48 tonnes per hectare | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 3.83 tonnes per hectare | +10.0% |
| 2015 | 3.77 tonnes per hectare | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 3.3 tonnes per hectare | -12.3% |
| 2017 | 3.29 tonnes per hectare | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 3.64 tonnes per hectare | +10.8% |
| 2019 | 3.85 tonnes per hectare | +5.8% |
| 2020 | 3.57 tonnes per hectare | -7.4% |
| 2021 | 3.68 tonnes per hectare | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 3.7 tonnes per hectare | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 3.65 tonnes per hectare | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 3.68 tonnes per hectare | +0.8% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 3.68 tonnes per hectare is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.5 tonnes per hectare, 1.5× the median. (30 countries reporting)
- China's 3.68 tonnes per hectare is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.66 tonnes per hectare, 1.4× the median. (8 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.18 tonnes per hectare | 1.05 tonnes per hectare | 1.48 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.67 tonnes per hectare | 1.08 tonnes per hectare | 2.49 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.63 tonnes per hectare | 2.18 tonnes per hectare | 3.06 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.63 tonnes per hectare | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | 2.81 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.59 tonnes per hectare | 2.47 tonnes per hectare | 4.15 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.56 tonnes per hectare | 3.29 tonnes per hectare | 3.85 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.66 tonnes per hectare | 3.57 tonnes per hectare | 3.7 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
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 barley yields in China?
- Barley yields in China was 3.68 tonnes per hectare in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Broadberry et al. (2015); Brassley (2000) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest barley yields recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 4.15 tonnes per hectare in 2005.
- What is the lowest barley yields recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.05 tonnes per hectare in 1966.
- How does China rank for barley yields?
- China ranks 39th out of 105 countries with data for 2024.
- Is barley yields rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.1%. 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); Broadberry et al. (2015); Brassley (2000) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Barley yields. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Yields are measured in tonnes per hectare.