China vs India: Land area equipped for irrigation — Area
Land area equipped for irrigation — Area over time
- China
- India
How they compare
India currently reports 75,500 1000 ha against 74,915 1000 ha in China, a difference of 585 1000 ha.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 64 shared years of data; in 1961 it was China ahead.
China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 201 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 4 and India in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 45,727 1000 ha | 27,847 1000 ha | 17,880 1000 ha | China |
| 1970s | 47,291 1000 ha | 35,541 1000 ha | 11,750 1000 ha | China |
| 1980s | 49,493 1000 ha | 44,488 1000 ha | 5,005 1000 ha | China |
| 1990s | 51,870 1000 ha | 53,080 1000 ha | 1,210 1000 ha | India |
| 2000s | 60,840 1000 ha | 64,183 1000 ha | 3,344 1000 ha | India |
| 2010s | 71,408 1000 ha | 69,836 1000 ha | 1,572 1000 ha | China |
| 2020s | 74,918 1000 ha | 75,500 1000 ha | 581.52 1000 ha | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher land area equipped for irrigation — area, China or India?
- India, at 75,500 1000 ha against 74,915 1000 ha in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in land area equipped for irrigation — area between China and India?
- 585 1000 ha, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 64 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2024.
- How do China and India rank globally for land area equipped for irrigation — area?
- China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 201 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.
Individual pages
About this data
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.