Arable land — Area in China, mainland

China, mainland: Arable land — Area was 108,466 1000 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
108,466 1000 ha
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
8th
of 248 countries
All-time high
124,875 1000 ha
in 1991
All-time low
96,175 1000 ha
in 1980
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Arable land — Area in China, mainland, 1961–2024

025.0k50.0k75.0k100.0k125.0k196119922024

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 ha.

Analysis

The most recent figure for arable land — area in China, mainland is 108,466 1000 ha, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 6.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, arable land — area in China, mainland peaked at 124,875 1000 ha in 1991 and was at its lowest, 96,175 1000 ha, in 1980.

China, mainland ranks 8th of 248 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.

Arable land — Area in China, mainland, year by year

Annual values for Arable land — Area in China, mainland, 1961 to 2024.
Year 1000 ha Change
1961 102,600 1000 ha —
1962 102,300 1000 ha -0.3%
1963 102,100 1000 ha -0.2%
1964 101,900 1000 ha -0.2%
1965 101,650 1000 ha -0.2%
1966 101,200 1000 ha -0.4%
1967 100,720 1000 ha -0.5%
1968 100,240 1000 ha -0.5%
1969 99,760 1000 ha -0.5%
1970 99,280 1000 ha -0.5%
1971 98,850 1000 ha -0.4%
1972 98,390 1000 ha -0.5%
1973 97,920 1000 ha -0.5%
1974 98,460 1000 ha +0.6%
1975 96,990 1000 ha -1.5%
1976 96,803 1000 ha -0.2%
1977 96,617 1000 ha -0.2%
1978 96,430 1000 ha -0.2%
1979 96,300 1000 ha -0.1%
1980 96,175 1000 ha -0.1%
1981 96,790 1000 ha +0.6%
1982 101,700 1000 ha +5.1%
1983 107,300 1000 ha +5.5%
1984 114,000 1000 ha +6.2%
1985 120,100 1000 ha +5.4%
1986 120,500 1000 ha +0.3%
1987 120,200 1000 ha -0.2%
1988 120,900 1000 ha +0.6%
1989 122,200 1000 ha +1.1%
1990 123,800 1000 ha +1.3%
1991 124,875 1000 ha +0.9%
1992 122,900 1000 ha -1.6%
1993 121,300 1000 ha -1.3%
1994 120,700 1000 ha -0.5%
1995 119,580 1000 ha -0.9%
1996 119,340 1000 ha -0.2%
1997 119,061 1000 ha -0.2%
1998 118,782 1000 ha -0.2%
1999 118,504 1000 ha -0.2%
2000 118,225 1000 ha -0.2%
2001 118,540 1000 ha +0.3%
2002 118,855 1000 ha +0.3%
2003 119,170 1000 ha +0.3%
2004 119,484 1000 ha +0.3%
2005 119,799 1000 ha +0.3%
2006 120,114 1000 ha +0.3%
2007 120,429 1000 ha +0.3%
2008 120,744 1000 ha +0.3%
2009 121,059 1000 ha +0.3%
2010 120,027 1000 ha -0.9%
2011 118,996 1000 ha -0.9%
2012 117,965 1000 ha -0.9%
2013 116,933 1000 ha -0.9%
2014 115,902 1000 ha -0.9%
2015 114,871 1000 ha -0.9%
2016 113,251 1000 ha -1.4%
2017 111,631 1000 ha -1.4%
2018 110,483 1000 ha -1.0%
2019 108,940 1000 ha -1.4%
2020 108,779 1000 ha -0.1%
2021 108,975 1000 ha +0.2%
2022 107,999 1000 ha -0.9%
2023 108,846 1000 ha +0.8%
2024 108,466 1000 ha -0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 101,386 1000 ha 99,760 1000 ha 102,600 1000 ha 9
1970s 97,604 1000 ha 96,300 1000 ha 99,280 1000 ha 10
1980s 111,986 1000 ha 96,175 1000 ha 122,200 1000 ha 10
1990s 120,884 1000 ha 118,504 1000 ha 124,875 1000 ha 10
2000s 119,642 1000 ha 118,225 1000 ha 121,059 1000 ha 10
2010s 114,900 1000 ha 108,940 1000 ha 120,027 1000 ha 10
2020s 108,613 1000 ha 107,999 1000 ha 108,975 1000 ha 5

Countries ranked near China, mainland

  1. 5 Russian Federation 121,649 1000 ha compare
  2. 5 Russia 121,649 1000 ha compare
  3. 7 China 109,061 1000 ha compare
  4. 9 Brazil 55,642 1000 ha compare
  5. 10 Argentina 46,842 1000 ha compare
  6. 11 Canada 38,064 1000 ha compare

See the full ranking of 281 places →

More environment data for China, mainland

All data for China, mainland →

Frequently asked questions

What is arable land — area in China, mainland?
Arable land — area in China, mainland was 108,466 1000 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest arable land — area recorded in China, mainland?
The highest recorded value was 124,875 1000 ha in 1991.
What is the lowest arable land — area recorded in China, mainland?
The lowest recorded value was 96,175 1000 ha in 1980.
How does China, mainland rank for arable land — area?
China, mainland ranks 8th out of 248 countries with data for 2024.
Is arable land — area rising or falling in China, mainland?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this China, mainland data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Arable land — Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Arable land — Area in China, mainland. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/arable-land-area/china-mainland/

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About this data

Indicator
Arable land — Area
Unit
1000 ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
281 places, 16,508 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.