Africa vs China, mainland: Inland waters — Area

Africa
44,434 1000 ha
in 2024
China, mainland
17,470 1000 ha
in 2024
Africa rank
5th
China, mainland rank
7th

Inland waters — Area over time

  • Africa
  • China, mainland
20.0k30.0k40.0k50.0k60.0k196119922024

How they compare

Africa currently reports 44,434 1000 ha against 17,470 1000 ha in China, mainland, a difference of 26,964 1000 ha.

That makes Africa's figure about 2.5 times China, mainland's.

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

Africa ranks 5th and China, mainland ranks 7th of 37 groups.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Africa China, mainland Difference Ahead
1960s 55,148 1000 ha 17,470 1000 ha 37,678 1000 ha Africa
1970s 55,195 1000 ha 17,470 1000 ha 37,725 1000 ha Africa
1980s 55,232 1000 ha 17,470 1000 ha 37,762 1000 ha Africa
1990s 55,232 1000 ha 17,470 1000 ha 37,762 1000 ha Africa
2000s 48,439 1000 ha 17,470 1000 ha 30,969 1000 ha Africa
2010s 44,040 1000 ha 17,470 1000 ha 26,570 1000 ha Africa
2020s 44,382 1000 ha 17,470 1000 ha 26,912 1000 ha Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher inland waters — area, Africa or China, mainland?
Africa, at 44,434 1000 ha against 17,470 1000 ha in China, mainland as of 2024.
What is the difference in inland waters — area between Africa and China, mainland?
26,964 1000 ha, with Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Africa and China, mainland?
64 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2024.
How do Africa and China, mainland rank globally for inland waters — area?
Africa ranks 5th and China, mainland ranks 7th of 37 groups.
Where does this data come from?
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as Inland waters — Area. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Africa vs China, mainland: Inland waters — Area. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/inland-waters-area/africa/china-mainland/

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About this data

Indicator
Inland waters — Area
Unit
1000 ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
209 places, 12,035 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.