China vs United States: Arable land — Area

China
109,061 1000 ha
in 2024
United States
151,553 1000 ha
in 2024
China rank
7th
United States rank
4th

Arable land — Area over time

  • China
  • United States
050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k196119922024

How they compare

United States currently reports 151,553 1000 ha against 109,061 1000 ha in China, a difference of 42,492 1000 ha.

That makes United States's figure about 1.4 times China's.

Across all 64 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.

China ranks 7th and United States ranks 4th of 248 countries.

United States has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China United States Difference Ahead
1960s 102,185 1000 ha 179,189 1000 ha 77,004 1000 ha United States
1970s 98,394 1000 ha 187,495 1000 ha 89,101 1000 ha United States
1980s 112,719 1000 ha 187,352 1000 ha 74,632 1000 ha United States
1990s 121,538 1000 ha 181,035 1000 ha 59,497 1000 ha United States
2000s 120,252 1000 ha 167,481 1000 ha 47,229 1000 ha United States
2010s 115,503 1000 ha 156,244 1000 ha 40,740 1000 ha United States
2020s 109,211 1000 ha 152,257 1000 ha 43,046 1000 ha United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher arable land — area, China or United States?
United States, at 151,553 1000 ha against 109,061 1000 ha in China as of 2024.
What is the difference in arable land — area between China and United States?
42,492 1000 ha, with United States ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
64 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2024.
How do China and United States rank globally for arable land — area?
China ranks 7th and United States ranks 4th of 248 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as Arable land — Area. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs United States: Arable land — Area. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 21 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/arable-land-area/china/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Arable land — Area
Unit
1000 ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
281 places, 16,508 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT Land Use domain contains data on twenty-one land use categories and twenty-three categories of irrigation and agricultural practices. Data are available yearly and by country, regional and global levels. The domain includes Land Use Indicators providing information on the percentage share of agricultural and forest land, and their sub-components, including irrigated areas and areas under organic agriculture, within a country land use matrix. Data are available at country, regional and global level, for the following elements: (in percentage) i) Share in Land area; ii) Share in Agricultural land, iii) Share in Cropland; and iv) Share in Forest land; (in ha/pc) v) Area per capita.