Soy production, yield and area harvested in China
China: Soy production, yield and area harvested was 20.65 million tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
20.65 million tonnes
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
4th
of 116 countries
All-time high
20.84 million tonnes
in 2023
All-time low
6.14 million tonnes
in 1965
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Soy production, yield and area harvested in China, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, soy production, yield and area harvested in China stood at 20.65 million tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and up 69.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, soy production, yield and area harvested in China peaked at 20.84 million tonnes in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.14 million tonnes, in 1965.
That places China 4th out of 116 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Soy production, yield and area harvested in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 6.21 million tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 6.51 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1963 | 6.91 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1964 | 7.87 million tonnes | +13.9% |
| 1965 | 6.14 million tonnes | -22.0% |
| 1966 | 8.27 million tonnes | +34.7% |
| 1967 | 8.27 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 8.04 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1969 | 7.63 million tonnes | -5.1% |
| 1970 | 8.71 million tonnes | +14.2% |
| 1971 | 8.61 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1972 | 6.45 million tonnes | -25.1% |
| 1973 | 8.37 million tonnes | +29.8% |
| 1974 | 7.47 million tonnes | -10.8% |
| 1975 | 7.24 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 1976 | 6.64 million tonnes | -8.3% |
| 1977 | 7.26 million tonnes | +9.3% |
| 1978 | 7.57 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1979 | 7.46 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 7.94 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 1981 | 9.32 million tonnes | +17.4% |
| 1982 | 9.03 million tonnes | -3.2% |
| 1983 | 9.76 million tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1984 | 9.70 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 10.50 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1986 | 11.61 million tonnes | +10.6% |
| 1987 | 12.18 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 11.64 million tonnes | -4.4% |
| 1989 | 10.23 million tonnes | -12.2% |
| 1990 | 11.00 million tonnes | +7.5% |
| 1991 | 9.71 million tonnes | -11.7% |
| 1992 | 10.30 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1993 | 15.31 million tonnes | +48.6% |
| 1994 | 16.00 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1995 | 13.50 million tonnes | -15.6% |
| 1996 | 13.22 million tonnes | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 14.73 million tonnes | +11.4% |
| 1998 | 15.15 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 14.25 million tonnes | -6.0% |
| 2000 | 15.41 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 2001 | 15.41 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 16.51 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2003 | 15.39 million tonnes | -6.7% |
| 2004 | 17.40 million tonnes | +13.0% |
| 2005 | 16.35 million tonnes | -6.1% |
| 2006 | 15.08 million tonnes | -7.7% |
| 2007 | 12.72 million tonnes | -15.6% |
| 2008 | 15.54 million tonnes | +22.1% |
| 2009 | 14.98 million tonnes | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 15.08 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 14.49 million tonnes | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 13.01 million tonnes | -10.2% |
| 2013 | 11.95 million tonnes | -8.1% |
| 2014 | 12.15 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 11.79 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 12.79 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 2017 | 15.28 million tonnes | +19.5% |
| 2018 | 15.97 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2019 | 18.10 million tonnes | +13.4% |
| 2020 | 19.60 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 2021 | 16.40 million tonnes | -16.4% |
| 2022 | 20.28 million tonnes | +23.7% |
| 2023 | 20.84 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 20.65 million tonnes | -0.9% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 20.65 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 31,555 tonnes, 654.4× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- China's 20.65 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 48,564 tonnes, 425.2× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.32 million tonnes | 6.14 million tonnes | 8.27 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.58 million tonnes | 6.45 million tonnes | 8.71 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.19 million tonnes | 7.94 million tonnes | 12.18 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.32 million tonnes | 9.71 million tonnes | 16.00 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.48 million tonnes | 12.72 million tonnes | 17.40 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.06 million tonnes | 11.79 million tonnes | 18.10 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.55 million tonnes | 16.40 million tonnes | 20.84 million tonnes | 5 |
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 soy production, yield and area harvested in China?
- Soy production, yield and area harvested in China was 20.65 million tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest soy production, yield and area harvested recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 20.84 million tonnes in 2023.
- What is the lowest soy production, yield and area harvested recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.14 million tonnes in 1965.
- How does China rank for soy production, yield and area harvested?
- China ranks 4th out of 116 countries with data for 2024.
- Is soy production, yield and area harvested rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 69.9%. 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 (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Soy production, yield and area harvested. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Shown is the change in soy production, yield and area used to grow the crop over time.