China, mainland vs United States: Land area equipped for irrigation — Area

China, mainland
74,542 1000 ha
in 2024
United States
24,693 1000 ha
in 2024
China, mainland rank
3rd
United States rank
5th

Land area equipped for irrigation — Area over time

  • China, mainland
  • United States
20.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k196119922024

How they compare

China, mainland currently reports 74,542 1000 ha against 24,693 1000 ha in United States, a difference of 49,849 1000 ha.

That makes China, mainland's figure about 3.0 times United States's.

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

China, mainland ranks 3rd and United States ranks 5th of 217 countries.

China, mainland has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China, mainland United States Difference Ahead
1960s 45,143 1000 ha 20,428 1000 ha 24,715 1000 ha China, mainland
1970s 46,801 1000 ha 22,850 1000 ha 23,951 1000 ha China, mainland
1980s 49,046 1000 ha 26,520 1000 ha 22,526 1000 ha China, mainland
1990s 51,474 1000 ha 27,012 1000 ha 24,462 1000 ha China, mainland
2000s 60,460 1000 ha 24,095 1000 ha 36,365 1000 ha China, mainland
2010s 71,028 1000 ha 26,745 1000 ha 44,283 1000 ha China, mainland
2020s 74,542 1000 ha 25,499 1000 ha 49,043 1000 ha China, mainland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher land area equipped for irrigation — area, China, mainland or United States?
China, mainland, at 74,542 1000 ha against 24,693 1000 ha in United States as of 2024.
What is the difference in land area equipped for irrigation — area between China, mainland and United States?
49,849 1000 ha, with China, mainland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China, mainland and United States?
64 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2024.
How do China, mainland and United States rank globally for land area equipped for irrigation — area?
China, mainland ranks 3rd and United States ranks 5th of 217 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as Land area equipped for irrigation — Area. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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

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About this data

Indicator
Land area equipped for irrigation — Area
Unit
1000 ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
250 places, 13,824 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.