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Cropland extent over the long-term in China

China: Cropland extent over the long-term was 133.72 million hectares in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
133.72 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
3rd
of 202 countries
All-time high
148.40 million hectares
in 1979
All-time low
20.62 million hectares
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Cropland extent over the long-term in China, 1000–2025

050.0M100.0M150.0M100015122025

Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

In 2025, cropland extent over the long-term in China stood at 133.72 million hectares.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, cropland extent over the long-term in China peaked at 148.40 million hectares in 1979 and was at its lowest, 20.62 million hectares, in 1000.

That places China 3rd out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 108 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 20.62 million hectares 20.62 million hectares 20.62 million hectares 1
1100s 49.27 million hectares 49.27 million hectares 49.27 million hectares 1
1200s 55.15 million hectares 55.15 million hectares 55.15 million hectares 1
1300s 42.35 million hectares 42.35 million hectares 42.35 million hectares 1
1400s 37.27 million hectares 37.27 million hectares 37.27 million hectares 1
1500s 46.63 million hectares 46.63 million hectares 46.63 million hectares 1
1600s 48.81 million hectares 48.81 million hectares 48.81 million hectares 1
1700s 50.84 million hectares 50.84 million hectares 50.84 million hectares 1
1710s 53.08 million hectares 53.08 million hectares 53.08 million hectares 1
1720s 55.54 million hectares 55.54 million hectares 55.54 million hectares 1
1730s 56.67 million hectares 56.67 million hectares 56.67 million hectares 1
1740s 57.21 million hectares 57.21 million hectares 57.21 million hectares 1
1750s 58.15 million hectares 58.15 million hectares 58.15 million hectares 1
1760s 58.78 million hectares 58.78 million hectares 58.78 million hectares 1
1770s 59.53 million hectares 59.53 million hectares 59.53 million hectares 1
1780s 61.04 million hectares 61.04 million hectares 61.04 million hectares 1
1790s 62.90 million hectares 62.90 million hectares 62.90 million hectares 1
1800s 64.70 million hectares 64.70 million hectares 64.70 million hectares 1
1810s 67.45 million hectares 67.45 million hectares 67.45 million hectares 1
1820s 70.57 million hectares 70.57 million hectares 70.57 million hectares 1
1830s 71.64 million hectares 71.64 million hectares 71.64 million hectares 1
1840s 72.10 million hectares 72.10 million hectares 72.10 million hectares 1
1850s 72.53 million hectares 72.53 million hectares 72.53 million hectares 1
1860s 72.79 million hectares 72.79 million hectares 72.79 million hectares 1
1870s 72.57 million hectares 72.57 million hectares 72.57 million hectares 1
1880s 72.90 million hectares 72.90 million hectares 72.90 million hectares 1
1890s 74.86 million hectares 74.86 million hectares 74.86 million hectares 1
1900s 76.92 million hectares 76.92 million hectares 76.92 million hectares 1
1910s 81.20 million hectares 81.20 million hectares 81.20 million hectares 1
1920s 85.49 million hectares 85.49 million hectares 85.49 million hectares 1
1930s 89.78 million hectares 89.78 million hectares 89.78 million hectares 1
1940s 98.62 million hectares 98.62 million hectares 98.62 million hectares 1
1950s 119.00 million hectares 111.80 million hectares 123.78 million hectares 10
1960s 121.25 million hectares 112.58 million hectares 127.47 million hectares 10
1970s 138.15 million hectares 131.52 million hectares 148.40 million hectares 10
1980s 144.77 million hectares 142.70 million hectares 146.28 million hectares 10
1990s 141.85 million hectares 140.56 million hectares 142.77 million hectares 10
2000s 135.28 million hectares 133.43 million hectares 139.63 million hectares 10
2010s 133.37 million hectares 133.31 million hectares 133.51 million hectares 10
2020s 133.62 million hectares 133.52 million hectares 133.72 million hectares 6

Countries ranked near China

  1. 1 India 166.71 million hectares compare
  2. 2 United States 160.44 million hectares compare
  3. 4 Russia 123.44 million hectares compare
  4. 5 Brazil 62.09 million hectares compare
  5. 6 Indonesia 51.04 million hectares compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More agriculture & rural data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is cropland extent over the long-term in China?
Cropland extent over the long-term in China was 133.72 million hectares in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest cropland extent over the long-term recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 148.40 million hectares in 1979.
What is the lowest cropland extent over the long-term recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 20.62 million hectares in 1000.
How does China rank for cropland extent over the long-term?
China ranks 3rd out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
Is cropland extent over the long-term rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Cropland extent over the long-term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Cropland extent over the long-term
Unit
hectares
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,816 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Total cropland area for each separate country over time.