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

China
74,915 1000 ha
in 2024
United States
24,693 1000 ha
in 2024
China rank
2nd
United States rank
5th

Land area equipped for irrigation — Area over time

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

How they compare

China currently reports 74,915 1000 ha against 24,693 1000 ha in United States, a difference of 50,222 1000 ha.

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

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

China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 5th of 217 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade China United States Difference Ahead
1960s 45,727 1000 ha 20,428 1000 ha 25,299 1000 ha China
1970s 47,291 1000 ha 22,850 1000 ha 24,441 1000 ha China
1980s 49,493 1000 ha 26,520 1000 ha 22,974 1000 ha China
1990s 51,870 1000 ha 27,012 1000 ha 24,857 1000 ha China
2000s 60,840 1000 ha 24,095 1000 ha 36,745 1000 ha China
2010s 71,408 1000 ha 26,745 1000 ha 44,663 1000 ha China
2020s 74,918 1000 ha 25,499 1000 ha 49,420 1000 ha China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher land area equipped for irrigation — area, China or United States?
China, at 74,915 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 and United States?
50,222 1000 ha, with China 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 land area equipped for irrigation — area?
China ranks 2nd 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 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/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.