Share of land area used for arable agriculture in China
China: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 11.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in China, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of land area used for arable agriculture in China is 11.5%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in China peaked at 13.3% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 10.2%, in 1980.
That places China 88th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in China, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 10.9% | — |
| 1962 | 10.9% | -0.3% |
| 1963 | 10.9% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 10.9% | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 10.8% | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 10.8% | -0.4% |
| 1967 | 10.7% | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 10.7% | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 10.6% | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 10.6% | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 10.5% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 10.5% | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 10.4% | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 10.5% | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 10.3% | -1.5% |
| 1976 | 10.3% | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 10.3% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 10.3% | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 10.3% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 10.2% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 10.3% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 10.8% | +5.1% |
| 1983 | 11.4% | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 12.1% | +6.2% |
| 1985 | 12.8% | +5.4% |
| 1986 | 12.8% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 12.8% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 12.9% | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 13.0% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 13.2% | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 13.3% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 13.1% | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 12.9% | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 12.9% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 12.7% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 12.7% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 12.7% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 12.7% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 12.7% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 12.7% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 12.7% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 12.8% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 12.8% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 12.8% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 12.9% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 12.9% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 12.9% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 12.9% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 12.9% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 12.8% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 12.6% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 12.5% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 12.4% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 12.3% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 12.2% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 12.1% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 11.9% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 11.8% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 11.6% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 11.6% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 11.6% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 11.6% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 11.5% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.8% | 10.6% | 10.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 10.4% | 10.3% | 10.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.9% | 10.2% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.9% | 12.7% | 13.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.8% | 12.7% | 12.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.2% | 11.6% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.6% | 11.5% | 11.6% | 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 land area used for arable agriculture in China?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in China was 11.5% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 13.3% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.2% in 1980.
- How does China rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- China ranks 88th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.8%. 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 (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area used for arable agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The share of land area used for arable agriculture, measured as a percentage of total land area. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow.