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
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
| 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% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 109,018 Hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20,024 Hectares, 5.4× the median. (11 countries reporting)
- China's 109,018 Hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 11,686 Hectares, 9.3× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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 India 153,869 Hectares compare
- 1 United States 154,644 Hectares compare
- 2 Russia 121,649 Hectares compare
- 2 Türkiye 20,201 Hectares compare
- 3 Viet Nam 6,728 Hectares compare
- 3 Poland 11,187 Hectares compare
- 4 United Kingdom 6,083 Hectares compare
- 4 Australia 64,949 Hectares compare
- 5 Lithuania 2,294 Hectares compare
- 5 Brazil 55,642 Hectares compare
- 6 Argentina 40,387 Hectares compare
More environment data for China
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.279 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 5.29 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8065 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.2517 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
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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