Farm machinery per unit of agricultural land in China
China: Farm machinery per unit of agricultural land was 7.16 in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Farm machinery per unit of agricultural land in China, 1961–2019
Source: USDA Economic Research Service (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2019, farm machinery per unit of agricultural land in China stood at 7.16.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 14.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, farm machinery per unit of agricultural land in China peaked at 7.9 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.0478, in 1961.
China ranks 6th of 175 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Farm machinery per unit of agricultural land in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.0478 | — |
| 1962 | 0.0692 | +44.8% |
| 1963 | 0.0904 | +30.6% |
| 1964 | 0.1156 | +27.9% |
| 1965 | 0.0974 | -15.8% |
| 1966 | 0.1089 | +11.9% |
| 1967 | 0.1255 | +15.2% |
| 1968 | 0.147 | +17.1% |
| 1969 | 0.1665 | +13.3% |
| 1970 | 0.187 | +12.3% |
| 1971 | 0.2382 | +27.4% |
| 1972 | 0.3035 | +27.4% |
| 1973 | 0.3902 | +28.6% |
| 1974 | 0.4791 | +22.8% |
| 1975 | 0.5957 | +24.3% |
| 1976 | 0.6893 | +15.7% |
| 1977 | 0.812 | +17.8% |
| 1978 | 0.9234 | +13.7% |
| 1979 | 1.06 | +14.6% |
| 1980 | 1.19 | +12.4% |
| 1981 | 1.27 | +6.9% |
| 1982 | 1.35 | +6.0% |
| 1983 | 1.46 | +8.5% |
| 1984 | 1.58 | +7.8% |
| 1985 | 1.69 | +7.0% |
| 1986 | 1.83 | +8.7% |
| 1987 | 1.97 | +7.7% |
| 1988 | 2.09 | +6.0% |
| 1989 | 2.18 | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 2.19 | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 2.22 | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 2.3 | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 2.43 | +5.4% |
| 1994 | 2.57 | +6.0% |
| 1995 | 2.75 | +6.8% |
| 1996 | 2.92 | +6.2% |
| 1997 | 3.17 | +8.8% |
| 1998 | 3.4 | +7.3% |
| 1999 | 3.68 | +8.0% |
| 2000 | 3.94 | +7.0% |
| 2001 | 4.11 | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 4.3 | +4.6% |
| 2003 | 4.49 | +4.6% |
| 2004 | 4.72 | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 5.02 | +6.3% |
| 2006 | 5.29 | +5.5% |
| 2007 | 5.58 | +5.5% |
| 2008 | 5.92 | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 6.27 | +5.9% |
| 2010 | 6.64 | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 6.99 | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 7.33 | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 7.4 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 7.65 | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 7.9 | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 6.87 | -13.1% |
| 2017 | 6.95 | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 7.02 | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 7.16 | +2.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 7.16 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3892, 18.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- China's 7.16 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.6175, 11.6× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Farm machinery per unit of agricultural land 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | +44.8% | 0.0478 | 0.0692 |
| 1963 | +30.6% | 0.0692 | 0.0904 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1076 | 0.0478 | 0.1665 | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.5677 | 0.187 | 1.06 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.66 | 1.19 | 2.18 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.76 | 2.19 | 3.68 | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.96 | 3.94 | 6.27 | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.19 | 6.64 | 7.9 | 10 |
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 farm machinery per unit of agricultural land in China?
- Farm machinery per unit of agricultural land in China was 7.16 in 2019, according to USDA Economic Research Service (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest farm machinery per unit of agricultural land recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 7.9 in 2015.
- What is the lowest farm machinery per unit of agricultural land recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0478 in 1961.
- How does China rank for farm machinery per unit of agricultural land?
- China ranks 6th out of 175 countries with data for 2019.
- Is farm machinery per unit of agricultural land rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from USDA Economic Research Service (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Farm machinery per unit of agricultural land. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 59 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Farm machinery is measured in units of horsepower. This is divided by total agricultural land to give the average machinery use per hectare of agricultural land.