Africa vs China: Cropland — Area

Africa
312,792 1000 ha
in 2024
China
129,388 1000 ha
in 2024
Africa rank
5th
China rank
4th

Cropland — Area over time

  • Africa
  • China
100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k300.0k196119922024

How they compare

Africa currently reports 312,792 1000 ha against 129,388 1000 ha in China, a difference of 183,404 1000 ha.

That makes Africa's figure about 2.4 times China's.

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

Africa ranks 5th and China ranks 4th of 36 groups.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Africa China Difference Ahead
1960s 172,298 1000 ha 104,265 1000 ha 68,033 1000 ha Africa
1970s 184,083 1000 ha 101,207 1000 ha 82,876 1000 ha Africa
1980s 195,516 1000 ha 117,852 1000 ha 77,664 1000 ha Africa
1990s 219,723 1000 ha 131,332 1000 ha 88,391 1000 ha Africa
2000s 246,944 1000 ha 133,553 1000 ha 113,391 1000 ha Africa
2010s 287,250 1000 ha 132,050 1000 ha 155,200 1000 ha Africa
2020s 308,870 1000 ha 128,814 1000 ha 180,056 1000 ha Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher cropland — area, Africa or China?
Africa, at 312,792 1000 ha against 129,388 1000 ha in China as of 2024.
What is the difference in cropland — area between Africa and China?
183,404 1000 ha, with Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Africa and China?
64 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2024.
How do Africa and China rank globally for cropland — area?
Africa ranks 5th and China ranks 4th of 36 groups.
Where does this data come from?
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as Cropland — Area. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Cropland — Area
Unit
1000 ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
270 places, 15,866 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.