Land used for agriculture in China
China: Land used for agriculture was 524.84 million in 2010. ▲ Rising
Latest (2010)
524.84 million
World rank
1st
of 179 countries
All-time high
524.84 million
in 2010
All-time low
177.00 million
in 1780
Years of data
24
1780–2010
Land used for agriculture in China, 1780–2010
Source: Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
China recorded 524.84 million for land used for agriculture in 2010. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land used for agriculture in China peaked at 524.84 million in 2010 and was at its lowest, 177.00 million, in 1780.
China ranks 1st of 179 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Land used for agriculture in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1780 | 177.00 million | — |
| 1790 | 183.47 million | +3.7% |
| 1800 | 179.57 million | -2.1% |
| 1810 | 195.06 million | +8.6% |
| 1820 | 195.47 million | +0.2% |
| 1830 | 203.95 million | +4.3% |
| 1840 | 204.97 million | +0.5% |
| 1850 | 205.86 million | +0.4% |
| 1860 | 195.53 million | -5.0% |
| 1870 | 189.62 million | -3.0% |
| 1880 | 192.62 million | +1.6% |
| 1890 | 198.75 million | +3.2% |
| 1900 | 206.78 million | +4.0% |
| 1910 | 216.53 million | +4.7% |
| 1920 | 233.61 million | +7.9% |
| 1930 | 240.73 million | +3.0% |
| 1940 | 250.48 million | +4.0% |
| 1950 | 260.67 million | +4.1% |
| 1960 | 336.08 million | +28.9% |
| 1970 | 366.98 million | +9.2% |
| 1980 | 421.97 million | +15.0% |
| 1990 | 510.83 million | +21.1% |
| 2000 | 518.20 million | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 524.84 million | +1.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 524.84 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.58 million, 114.7× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- China's 524.84 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.68 million, 313.0× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 177.00 million | 177.00 million | 177.00 million | 1 |
| 1790s | 183.47 million | 183.47 million | 183.47 million | 1 |
| 1800s | 179.57 million | 179.57 million | 179.57 million | 1 |
| 1810s | 195.06 million | 195.06 million | 195.06 million | 1 |
| 1820s | 195.47 million | 195.47 million | 195.47 million | 1 |
| 1830s | 203.95 million | 203.95 million | 203.95 million | 1 |
| 1840s | 204.97 million | 204.97 million | 204.97 million | 1 |
| 1850s | 205.86 million | 205.86 million | 205.86 million | 1 |
| 1860s | 195.53 million | 195.53 million | 195.53 million | 1 |
| 1870s | 189.62 million | 189.62 million | 189.62 million | 1 |
| 1880s | 192.62 million | 192.62 million | 192.62 million | 1 |
| 1890s | 198.75 million | 198.75 million | 198.75 million | 1 |
| 1900s | 206.78 million | 206.78 million | 206.78 million | 1 |
| 1910s | 216.53 million | 216.53 million | 216.53 million | 1 |
| 1920s | 233.61 million | 233.61 million | 233.61 million | 1 |
| 1930s | 240.73 million | 240.73 million | 240.73 million | 1 |
| 1940s | 250.48 million | 250.48 million | 250.48 million | 1 |
| 1950s | 260.67 million | 260.67 million | 260.67 million | 1 |
| 1960s | 336.08 million | 336.08 million | 336.08 million | 1 |
| 1970s | 366.98 million | 366.98 million | 366.98 million | 1 |
| 1980s | 421.97 million | 421.97 million | 421.97 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 510.83 million | 510.83 million | 510.83 million | 1 |
| 2000s | 518.20 million | 518.20 million | 518.20 million | 1 |
| 2010s | 524.84 million | 524.84 million | 524.84 million | 1 |
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 used for agriculture in China?
- Land used for agriculture in China was 524.84 million in 2010, according to Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land used for agriculture recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 524.84 million in 2010.
- What is the lowest land used for agriculture recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 177.00 million in 1780.
- How does China rank for land used for agriculture?
- China ranks 1st out of 179 countries with data for 2010.
- Is land used for agriculture rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Land used for agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Agricultural land use is the sum of croplands and pasture – land used for grazing livestock. It is measured in hectares.