Arable land use per person in China
China: Arable land use per person was 0.0769 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0769 hectares per person
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
133rd
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.1554 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.0769 hectares per person
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person in China, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares per person.
Analysis
China recorded 0.0769 hectares per person for arable land use per person in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in China peaked at 0.1554 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.0769 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places China 133rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land use per person in China, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.1554 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.1537 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1963 | 0.1496 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1964 | 0.1459 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1965 | 0.1421 hectares per person | -2.6% |
| 1966 | 0.1376 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1967 | 0.1335 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1968 | 0.1294 hectares per person | -3.0% |
| 1969 | 0.1253 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1970 | 0.1213 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1971 | 0.1175 hectares per person | -3.1% |
| 1972 | 0.1141 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1973 | 0.111 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1974 | 0.1094 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1975 | 0.1058 hectares per person | -3.2% |
| 1976 | 0.104 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 1977 | 0.1024 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1978 | 0.1009 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1979 | 0.0994 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 0.098 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 0.0974 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 0.1008 hectares per person | +3.5% |
| 1983 | 0.1049 hectares per person | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 0.11 hectares per person | +4.9% |
| 1985 | 0.1143 hectares per person | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 0.113 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 0.1109 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 0.1097 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 0.1092 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 0.1091 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 0.1085 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 0.1055 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 0.1029 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 0.1013 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 0.0992 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 0.098 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 0.0968 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 0.0959 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 0.095 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 0.0943 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 0.0941 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 0.0937 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 0.0933 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 0.0929 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 0.0925 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 0.0923 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 0.0918 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 0.0915 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 0.0912 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 0.0898 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 0.0882 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 0.0866 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 0.0854 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 0.0843 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 0.0832 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.0818 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 0.08 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 0.0788 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 0.0774 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 0.0771 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.0772 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 0.0769 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 0.0769 hectares per person | -0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 0.0769 hectares per person is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.1102 hectares per person, 70% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- China's 0.0769 hectares per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0406 hectares per person, 1.9× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1414 hectares per person | 0.1253 hectares per person | 0.1554 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.1086 hectares per person | 0.0994 hectares per person | 0.1213 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1068 hectares per person | 0.0974 hectares per person | 0.1143 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1012 hectares per person | 0.095 hectares per person | 0.1091 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0928 hectares per person | 0.0912 hectares per person | 0.0943 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0835 hectares per person | 0.0774 hectares per person | 0.0898 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.077 hectares per person | 0.0769 hectares per person | 0.0772 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
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)
- 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)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9037 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land use per person in China?
- Arable land use per person in China was 0.0769 hectares per person in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest arable land use per person recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1554 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0769 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does China rank for arable land use per person?
- China ranks 133rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Arable land use per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Arable land is defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops, temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. It is measured in hectares per person.