Land under cereal production in China
China: Land under cereal production was 99.99 million hectares in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
99.99 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
2nd
of 181 countries
All-time high
103.28 million hectares
in 2015
All-time low
76.95 million hectares
in 2003
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land under cereal production in China, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, land under cereal production in China stood at 99.99 million hectares.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land under cereal production in China peaked at 103.28 million hectares in 2015 and was at its lowest, 76.95 million hectares, in 2003.
China ranks 2nd of 181 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Land under cereal production in China, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 89.71 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 88.91 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 90.37 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1964 | 92.09 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1965 | 91.09 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1966 | 92.86 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 1967 | 91.97 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 89.64 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 1969 | 91.28 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1970 | 92.89 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1971 | 96.20 million hectares | +3.6% |
| 1972 | 96.53 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 96.19 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 96.85 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 97.24 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 97.79 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 96.43 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 96.65 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 95.47 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1980 | 94.37 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 91.94 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 1982 | 90.30 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 1983 | 92.10 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 91.74 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 88.15 million hectares | -3.9% |
| 1986 | 89.76 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1987 | 89.69 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 88.79 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 90.87 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 93.58 million hectares | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 93.61 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 92.10 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 88.81 million hectares | -3.6% |
| 1994 | 87.44 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 89.31 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 92.21 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 92.14 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 92.12 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 91.62 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 85.26 million hectares | -6.9% |
| 2001 | 82.60 million hectares | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 81.47 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 76.95 million hectares | -5.5% |
| 2004 | 79.35 million hectares | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 81.87 million hectares | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 84.90 million hectares | +3.7% |
| 2007 | 85.83 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 86.36 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 88.57 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 90.06 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 91.29 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 92.93 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 94.17 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 95.06 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 103.28 million hectares | +8.6% |
| 2016 | 102.13 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 100.49 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 99.63 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 97.91 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 97.94 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 100.16 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 99.22 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 99.99 million hectares | +0.8% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 99.99 million hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 615,072 hectares, 162.6× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- China's 99.99 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 695,586 hectares, 143.7× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 90.88 million hectares | 88.91 million hectares | 92.86 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 96.22 million hectares | 92.89 million hectares | 97.79 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 90.77 million hectares | 88.15 million hectares | 94.37 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 91.29 million hectares | 87.44 million hectares | 93.61 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 83.32 million hectares | 76.95 million hectares | 88.57 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 96.70 million hectares | 90.06 million hectares | 103.28 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.33 million hectares | 97.94 million hectares | 100.16 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 land under cereal production in China?
- Land under cereal production in China was 99.99 million hectares in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest land under cereal production recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 103.28 million hectares in 2015.
- What is the lowest land under cereal production recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 76.95 million hectares in 2003.
- How does China rank for land under cereal production?
- China ranks 2nd out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land under cereal production rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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), published as part of Land under cereal production (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
Land under cereal production refers to harvested area, although some countries report only sown or cultivated area. Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains. Production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded.