Agricultural land area — Arable land in China

China: Agricultural land area — Arable land was 109,018 Hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
109,018 Hectares
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
3rd
of 42 countries
All-time high
125,545 Hectares
in 1991
All-time low
109,018 Hectares
in 2023
Years of data
39
1985–2023

Agricultural land area — Arable land in China, 1985–2023

050.0k100.0k150.0k1985200420231985: 120.8k Hectares1986: 121.2k Hectares1987: 120.9k Hectares1988: 121.6k Hectares1989: 122.9k Hectares1990: 124.5k Hectares1991: 125.5k Hectares1992: 123.6k Hectares1993: 122.0k Hectares1994: 121.4k Hectares1995: 120.2k Hectares1996: 120.0k Hectares1997: 119.7k Hectares1998: 119.7k Hectares1999: 119.7k Hectares2000: 119.7k Hectares2001: 120.3k Hectares2002: 120.7k Hectares2003: 120.8k Hectares2004: 121.0k Hectares2005: 121.3k Hectares2006: 121.6k Hectares2007: 121.5k Hectares2008: 121.8k Hectares2009: 122.0k Hectares2010: 120.7k Hectares2011: 119.3k Hectares2012: 117.9k Hectares2013: 117.0k Hectares2014: 116.2k Hectares2015: 115.5k Hectares2016: 114.0k Hectares2017: 112.2k Hectares2018: 111.1k Hectares2019: 109.5k Hectares2020: 109.4k Hectares2021: 109.6k Hectares2022: 109.2k Hectares2023: 109.0k Hectares

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Hectares.

Analysis

China recorded 109,018 Hectares for agricultural land area — arable land in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 6.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, agricultural land area — arable land in China peaked at 125,545 Hectares in 1991 and was at its lowest, 109,018 Hectares, in 2023.

That places China 3rd out of 42 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.

Agricultural land area — Arable land in China, year by year

Annual values for Agricultural land area — Arable land in China, 1985 to 2023.
Year Hectares Change
1985 120,835 Hectares
1986 121,220 Hectares +0.3%
1987 120,913 Hectares -0.3%
1988 121,592 Hectares +0.6%
1989 122,886 Hectares +1.1%
1990 124,481 Hectares +1.3%
1991 125,545 Hectares +0.9%
1992 123,562 Hectares -1.6%
1993 121,956 Hectares -1.3%
1994 121,353 Hectares -0.5%
1995 120,234 Hectares -0.9%
1996 119,992 Hectares -0.2%
1997 119,684 Hectares -0.3%
1998 119,674 Hectares -0.0%
1999 119,670 Hectares -0.0%
2000 119,666 Hectares -0.0%
2001 120,258 Hectares +0.5%
2002 120,650 Hectares +0.3%
2003 120,836 Hectares +0.2%
2004 121,021 Hectares +0.2%
2005 121,267 Hectares +0.2%
2006 121,607 Hectares +0.3%
2007 121,547 Hectares -0.0%
2008 121,792 Hectares +0.2%
2009 121,984 Hectares +0.2%
2010 120,734 Hectares -1.0%
2011 119,282 Hectares -1.2%
2012 117,929 Hectares -1.1%
2013 116,978 Hectares -0.8%
2014 116,206 Hectares -0.7%
2015 115,470 Hectares -0.6%
2016 114,049 Hectares -1.2%
2017 112,230 Hectares -1.6%
2018 111,085 Hectares -1.0%
2019 109,541 Hectares -1.4%
2020 109,407 Hectares -0.1%
2021 109,564 Hectares +0.1%
2022 109,153 Hectares -0.4%
2023 109,018 Hectares -0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 121,489 Hectares 120,835 Hectares 122,886 Hectares 5
1990s 121,615 Hectares 119,670 Hectares 125,545 Hectares 10
2000s 121,063 Hectares 119,666 Hectares 121,984 Hectares 10
2010s 115,350 Hectares 109,541 Hectares 120,734 Hectares 10
2020s 109,286 Hectares 109,018 Hectares 109,564 Hectares 4

Countries ranked near China

  1. 1 India 153,869 Hectares compare
  2. 2 Russian Federation 121,649 Hectares compare
  3. 4 Australia 64,949 Hectares compare
  4. 5 Brazil 55,642 Hectares compare
  5. 6 Argentina 40,387 Hectares compare

See the full ranking of 57 places →

More environment data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is agricultural land area — arable land in China?
Agricultural land area — arable land in China was 109,018 Hectares in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest agricultural land area — arable land recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 125,545 Hectares in 1991.
What is the lowest agricultural land area — arable land recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 109,018 Hectares in 2023.
How does China rank for agricultural land area — arable land?
China ranks 3rd out of 42 countries with data for 2023.
Is agricultural land area — arable land rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Agricultural land area — Arable land. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Agricultural land area — Arable land in China. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/agricultural-land-area-arable-land/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Agricultural land area — Arable land
Unit
Hectares
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
57 places, 2,005 data points, 1984–2025
Last refreshed