Land area equipped for irrigation — Area in China, mainland

China, mainland: Land area equipped for irrigation — Area was 74,542 1000 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
74,542 1000 ha
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
3rd
of 217 countries
All-time high
74,542 1000 ha
in 2018
All-time low
44,523 1000 ha
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Land area equipped for irrigation — Area in China, mainland, 1961–2024

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k196119922024

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

Analysis

In 2024, land area equipped for irrigation — area in China, mainland stood at 74,542 1000 ha. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.

The figure is up 5.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, land area equipped for irrigation — area in China, mainland peaked at 74,542 1000 ha in 2018 and was at its lowest, 44,523 1000 ha, in 1961.

That places China, mainland 3rd out of 217 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Land area equipped for irrigation — Area in China, mainland, year by year

Annual values for Land area equipped for irrigation — Area in China, mainland, 1961 to 2024.
Year 1000 ha Change
1961 44,523 1000 ha —
1962 44,678 1000 ha +0.3%
1963 44,833 1000 ha +0.3%
1964 44,988 1000 ha +0.3%
1965 45,143 1000 ha +0.3%
1966 45,298 1000 ha +0.3%
1967 45,453 1000 ha +0.3%
1968 45,608 1000 ha +0.3%
1969 45,763 1000 ha +0.3%
1970 45,918 1000 ha +0.3%
1971 46,073 1000 ha +0.3%
1972 46,228 1000 ha +0.3%
1973 46,383 1000 ha +0.3%
1974 46,538 1000 ha +0.3%
1975 46,693 1000 ha +0.3%
1976 47,035 1000 ha +0.7%
1977 47,375 1000 ha +0.7%
1978 47,715 1000 ha +0.7%
1979 48,055 1000 ha +0.7%
1980 48,395 1000 ha +0.7%
1981 48,735 1000 ha +0.7%
1982 49,083 1000 ha +0.7%
1983 48,961 1000 ha -0.2%
1984 48,961 1000 ha +0.0%
1985 48,961 1000 ha +0.0%
1986 49,115 1000 ha +0.3%
1987 49,265 1000 ha +0.3%
1988 49,415 1000 ha +0.3%
1989 49,565 1000 ha +0.3%
1990 49,715 1000 ha +0.3%
1991 49,865 1000 ha +0.3%
1992 50,026 1000 ha +0.3%
1993 50,350 1000 ha +0.6%
1994 50,670 1000 ha +0.6%
1995 50,991 1000 ha +0.6%
1996 52,943 1000 ha +3.8%
1997 53,160 1000 ha +0.4%
1998 53,400 1000 ha +0.5%
1999 53,620 1000 ha +0.4%
2000 53,820 1000 ha +0.4%
2001 55,600 1000 ha +3.3%
2002 57,400 1000 ha +3.2%
2003 61,056 1000 ha +6.4%
2004 61,511 1000 ha +0.7%
2005 61,898 1000 ha +0.6%
2006 62,559 1000 ha +1.1%
2007 63,220 1000 ha +1.1%
2008 63,413 1000 ha +0.3%
2009 64,120 1000 ha +1.1%
2010 66,352 1000 ha +3.5%
2011 67,743 1000 ha +2.1%
2012 67,783 1000 ha +0.1%
2013 69,481 1000 ha +2.5%
2014 70,652 1000 ha +1.7%
2015 72,061 1000 ha +2.0%
2016 73,177 1000 ha +1.5%
2017 73,946 1000 ha +1.1%
2018 74,542 1000 ha +0.8%
2019 74,542 1000 ha +0.0%
2020 74,542 1000 ha +0.0%
2021 74,542 1000 ha +0.0%
2022 74,542 1000 ha +0.0%
2023 74,542 1000 ha +0.0%
2024 74,542 1000 ha +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 45,143 1000 ha 44,523 1000 ha 45,763 1000 ha 9
1970s 46,801 1000 ha 45,918 1000 ha 48,055 1000 ha 10
1980s 49,046 1000 ha 48,395 1000 ha 49,565 1000 ha 10
1990s 51,474 1000 ha 49,715 1000 ha 53,620 1000 ha 10
2000s 60,460 1000 ha 53,820 1000 ha 64,120 1000 ha 10
2010s 71,028 1000 ha 66,352 1000 ha 74,542 1000 ha 10
2020s 74,542 1000 ha 74,542 1000 ha 74,542 1000 ha 5

Countries ranked near China, mainland

  1. 1 India 75,500 1000 ha compare
  2. 2 China 74,915 1000 ha compare
  3. 4 OECD 64,522 1000 ha compare
  4. 5 United States 24,693 1000 ha compare
  5. 6 USSR 20,900 1000 ha compare

See the full ranking of 250 places →

More environment data for China, mainland

All data for China, mainland →

Frequently asked questions

What is land area equipped for irrigation — area in China, mainland?
Land area equipped for irrigation — area in China, mainland was 74,542 1000 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest land area equipped for irrigation — area recorded in China, mainland?
The highest recorded value was 74,542 1000 ha in 2018.
What is the lowest land area equipped for irrigation — area recorded in China, mainland?
The lowest recorded value was 44,523 1000 ha in 1961.
How does China, mainland rank for land area equipped for irrigation — area?
China, mainland ranks 3rd out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
Is land area equipped for irrigation — area rising or falling in China, mainland?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. 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 Land area equipped for irrigation — Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Land area equipped for irrigation — 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/land-area-equipped-for-irrigation-area/china-mainland/

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About this data

Indicator
Land area equipped for irrigation — Area
Unit
1000 ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
250 places, 13,824 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.