Arable land use per person in China
China: Arable land use per person was 0.0769 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
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.
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
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 15,536 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 11.03 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 498.98 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 32.75 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 736.76 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 3.9 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 1,485 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 4.13 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 5.54 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 195.67 Mt CO2e (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.