What is the highest surface area recorded in China?

The highest recorded value was 9.56 million sq. km in 1961.

What is the lowest surface area recorded in China?

The lowest recorded value was 9.56 million sq. km in 2016.

How does China rank for surface area?

China ranks 4th out of 216 countries with data for 2023.

Is surface area rising or falling in China?

Over the last ten years it is down 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.

Surface area in China

Name: Surface area in China
Creator: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

China: Surface area was 9.56 million sq. km in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)

9.56 million sq. km

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

4th

of 216 countries

All-time high

9.56 million sq. km

in 1961

All-time low

9.56 million sq. km

in 2016

Years of data

1961–2023

Surface area in China, 1961–2023

Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.

Analysis

In 2023, surface area in China stood at 9.56 million sq. km. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, surface area in China peaked at 9.56 million sq. km in 1961 and was at its lowest, 9.56 million sq. km, in 2016.

China ranks 4th of 216 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Surface area in China, year by year

Annual values for Surface area (sq. km) in China, 1961 to 2023.
Year	sq. km	Change
1961	9.56 million sq. km	—
1962	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1963	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1964	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1965	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1966	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1967	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1968	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1969	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1970	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1971	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1972	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1973	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1974	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1975	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1976	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1977	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1978	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1979	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1980	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1981	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1982	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1983	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1984	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1985	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1986	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1987	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1988	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1989	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1990	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1991	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1992	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1993	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1994	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1995	9.56 million sq. km	-0.0%
1996	9.56 million sq. km	-0.0%
1997	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1998	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
1999	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2000	9.56 million sq. km	-0.0%
2001	9.56 million sq. km	-0.0%
2002	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2003	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2004	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2005	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2006	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2007	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2008	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2009	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2010	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2011	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2012	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2013	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2014	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2015	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2016	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2017	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2018	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2019	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2020	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2021	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2022	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%
2023	9.56 million sq. km	+0.0%

China compared with similar countries

China's 9.56 million sq. km is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 109,385 sq. km, 87.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
China's 9.56 million sq. km is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 18,270 sq. km, 523.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	9.56 million sq. km	9.56 million sq. km	9.56 million sq. km	9
1970s	9.56 million sq. km	9.56 million sq. km	9.56 million sq. km	10
1980s	9.56 million sq. km	9.56 million sq. km	9.56 million sq. km	10
1990s	9.56 million sq. km	9.56 million sq. km	9.56 million sq. km	10
2000s	9.56 million sq. km	9.56 million sq. km	9.56 million sq. km	10
2010s	9.56 million sq. km	9.56 million sq. km	9.56 million sq. km	10
2020s	9.56 million sq. km	9.56 million sq. km	9.56 million sq. km	4

Countries ranked near China

1 Russia 17.13 million sq. km compare
2 Canada 15.63 million sq. km compare
3 United States 9.83 million sq. km compare
5 Brazil 8.51 million sq. km compare
6 Australia 7.74 million sq. km compare
7 India 3.29 million sq. km compare

See the full ranking of 264 places →

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)

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is surface area in China?: Surface area in China was 9.56 million sq. km in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
What is the highest surface area recorded in China?: The highest recorded value was 9.56 million sq. km in 1961.
What is the lowest surface area recorded in China?: The lowest recorded value was 9.56 million sq. km in 2016.
How does China rank for surface area?: China ranks 4th out of 216 countries with data for 2023.
Is surface area rising or falling in China?: Over the last ten years it is down 0.0%. 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), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Surface area (sq. km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Surface area in China. Statizoid, drawing on FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/surface-area-sq-km/china/

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About this data

Indicator: Surface area (sq. km)
Unit: sq. km
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 264 places, 16,456 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 17 September 2026

Surface area is a country's total area, including areas under inland bodies of water and some coastal waterways.