Cropland — Share in Land area in China

China: Cropland — Share in Land area was 13.73 % in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
13.73 %
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
127th
of 252 countries
All-time high
14.45 %
in 2009
All-time low
10.63 %
in 1980
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Cropland — Share in Land area in China, 1961–2024

051015196119922024

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for cropland — share in land area in China is 13.73 %, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, cropland — share in land area in China peaked at 14.45 % in 2009 and was at its lowest, 10.63 %, in 1980.

China ranks 127th of 252 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Cropland — Share in Land area in China, year by year

Annual values for Cropland — Share in Land area in China, 1961 to 2024.
Year % Change
1961 11.17 % —
1962 11.14 % -0.3%
1963 11.13 % -0.1%
1964 11.11 % -0.2%
1965 11.09 % -0.2%
1966 11.05 % -0.4%
1967 11 % -0.5%
1968 10.96 % -0.4%
1969 10.92 % -0.4%
1970 10.88 % -0.4%
1971 10.84 % -0.4%
1972 10.8 % -0.4%
1973 10.76 % -0.4%
1974 10.83 % +0.7%
1975 10.68 % -1.4%
1976 10.67 % -0.1%
1977 10.66 % -0.1%
1978 10.64 % -0.2%
1979 10.64 % +0.0%
1980 10.63 % -0.1%
1981 10.71 % +0.8%
1982 11.24 % +4.9%
1983 11.85 % +5.4%
1984 12.59 % +6.2%
1985 13.36 % +6.1%
1986 13.52 % +1.2%
1987 13.59 % +0.5%
1988 13.7 % +0.8%
1989 13.86 % +1.2%
1990 14.03 % +1.2%
1991 14.14 % +0.8%
1992 13.96 % -1.3%
1993 13.89 % -0.5%
1994 13.89 % +0.0%
1995 13.89 % +0.0%
1996 13.89 % +0.0%
1997 13.89 % +0.0%
1998 13.89 % +0.0%
1999 13.89 % +0.0%
2000 13.89 % +0.0%
2001 13.95 % +0.4%
2002 14.01 % +0.4%
2003 14.08 % +0.5%
2004 14.14 % +0.4%
2005 14.2 % +0.4%
2006 14.26 % +0.4%
2007 14.33 % +0.5%
2008 14.39 % +0.4%
2009 14.45 % +0.4%
2010 14.37 % -0.6%
2011 14.29 % -0.6%
2012 14.21 % -0.6%
2013 14.13 % -0.6%
2014 14.05 % -0.6%
2015 13.97 % -0.6%
2016 13.89 % -0.6%
2017 13.81 % -0.6%
2018 13.73 % -0.6%
2019 13.65 % -0.6%
2020 13.64 % -0.1%
2021 13.62 % -0.1%
2022 13.62 % +0.0%
2023 13.73 % +0.8%
2024 13.73 % +0.0%

China compared with similar countries

  • China's 13.73 % is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 16.44 %, 84% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • China's 13.73 % is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 13.14 %, 1.0× the median. (32 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 11.06 % 10.92 % 11.17 % 9
1970s 10.74 % 10.64 % 10.88 % 10
1980s 12.5 % 10.63 % 13.86 % 10
1990s 13.94 % 13.89 % 14.14 % 10
2000s 14.17 % 13.89 % 14.45 % 10
2010s 14.01 % 13.65 % 14.37 % 10
2020s 13.67 % 13.62 % 13.73 % 5

Countries ranked near China

  1. 124 Niue 14.67 % compare
  2. 125 Cook Islands 14.23 % compare
  3. 126 Niger 14.08 % compare
  4. 128 China, mainland 13.7 % compare
  5. 129 Nepal 13.59 % compare
  6. 130 American Samoa 13.41 % compare

See the full ranking of 285 places →

More environment data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is cropland — share in land area in China?
Cropland — share in land area in China was 13.73 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest cropland — share in land area recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 14.45 % in 2009.
What is the lowest cropland — share in land area recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 10.63 % in 1980.
How does China rank for cropland — share in land area?
China ranks 127th out of 252 countries with data for 2024.
Is cropland — share in land area rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Cropland — Share in Land area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Cropland — Share in Land area in China. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/cropland-share-in-land-area/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Cropland — Share in Land area
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
285 places, 16,764 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.