Share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel in China
China: Share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel was 310.93 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
310.93 million tonnes
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
1st
of 192 countries
All-time high
311.39 million tonnes
in 2022
All-time low
59.26 million tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel in China, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
China recorded 310.93 million tonnes for share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel in China peaked at 311.39 million tonnes in 2022 and was at its lowest, 59.26 million tonnes, in 1961.
That places China 1st out of 192 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.
Share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 59.26 million tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 66.14 million tonnes | +11.6% |
| 1963 | 74.03 million tonnes | +11.9% |
| 1964 | 81.05 million tonnes | +9.5% |
| 1965 | 88.58 million tonnes | +9.3% |
| 1966 | 93.39 million tonnes | +5.4% |
| 1967 | 93.56 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 93.50 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 93.30 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1970 | 104.24 million tonnes | +11.7% |
| 1971 | 108.12 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1972 | 110.18 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 114.84 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1974 | 118.87 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 123.84 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1976 | 126.36 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 128.84 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 142.40 million tonnes | +10.5% |
| 1979 | 147.40 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1980 | 151.74 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 157.18 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 172.22 million tonnes | +9.6% |
| 1983 | 182.22 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1984 | 187.02 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 188.44 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 190.00 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 190.01 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 189.18 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 192.40 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 201.07 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1991 | 193.22 million tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1992 | 197.46 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 202.77 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 204.58 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 208.14 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 210.85 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 209.24 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 210.70 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 209.49 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 207.52 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 206.40 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 205.08 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 202.40 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 201.98 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 202.34 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 202.35 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 200.74 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 203.22 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 201.29 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 276.52 million tonnes | +37.4% |
| 2011 | 284.30 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 283.45 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 281.47 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 286.60 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 294.30 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 295.27 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 297.23 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 300.97 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 298.58 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 308.38 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 307.45 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 311.39 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 310.93 million tonnes | -0.1% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 310.93 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.00 million tonnes, 310.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- China's 310.93 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 547,500 tonnes, 567.9× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +37.4% | 201.29 million tonnes | 276.52 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 82.53 million tonnes | 59.26 million tonnes | 93.56 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 122.51 million tonnes | 104.24 million tonnes | 147.40 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 180.04 million tonnes | 151.74 million tonnes | 192.40 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 204.75 million tonnes | 193.22 million tonnes | 210.85 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 203.33 million tonnes | 200.74 million tonnes | 207.52 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 289.87 million tonnes | 276.52 million tonnes | 300.97 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 309.54 million tonnes | 307.45 million tonnes | 311.39 million tonnes | 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 share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel in China?
- Share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel in China was 310.93 million tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 311.39 million tonnes in 2022.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.26 million tonnes in 1961.
- How does China rank for share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel?
- China ranks 1st out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.5%. 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) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel. 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
Quantity that is allocated for direct consumption as human food, rather than allocation to animal feed or industrial uses.