Land use for palm oil production in China
China: Land use for palm oil production was 50,672 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
50,672 hectares
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
22nd
of 44 countries
All-time high
55,000 hectares
in 1985
All-time low
41,000 hectares
in 1991
Years of data
40
1985–2024
Land use for palm oil production in China, 1985–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2024, land use for palm oil production in China stood at 50,672 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use for palm oil production in China peaked at 55,000 hectares in 1985 and was at its lowest, 41,000 hectares, in 1991.
China ranks 22nd of 44 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
Land use for palm oil production in China, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 55,000 hectares | — |
| 1986 | 53,000 hectares | -3.6% |
| 1987 | 50,500 hectares | -4.7% |
| 1988 | 50,500 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 47,000 hectares | -6.9% |
| 1990 | 43,000 hectares | -8.5% |
| 1991 | 41,000 hectares | -4.7% |
| 1992 | 41,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 41,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 41,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 41,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 42,000 hectares | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 42,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 43,000 hectares | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 43,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 45,000 hectares | +4.7% |
| 2001 | 47,000 hectares | +4.4% |
| 2002 | 47,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 47,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 47,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 47,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 45,000 hectares | -4.3% |
| 2007 | 48,000 hectares | +6.7% |
| 2008 | 48,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 50,000 hectares | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 47,000 hectares | -6.0% |
| 2011 | 48,000 hectares | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 49,000 hectares | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 50,000 hectares | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 50,352 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 49,576 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 49,416 hectares | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 49,407 hectares | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 50,057 hectares | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 50,413 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 50,571 hectares | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 50,383 hectares | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 50,437 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 50,554 hectares | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 50,672 hectares | +0.2% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 50,672 hectares is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 101,305 hectares, 50% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
- China's 50,672 hectares is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 175,126 hectares, 29% of the median. (8 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 51,200 hectares | 47,000 hectares | 55,000 hectares | 5 |
| 1990s | 41,800 hectares | 41,000 hectares | 43,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 47,100 hectares | 45,000 hectares | 50,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 49,322 hectares | 47,000 hectares | 50,413 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 50,523 hectares | 50,383 hectares | 50,672 hectares | 5 |
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)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 5.29 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use for palm oil production in China?
- Land use for palm oil production in China was 50,672 hectares in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use for palm oil production recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 55,000 hectares in 1985.
- What is the lowest land use for palm oil production recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 41,000 hectares in 1991.
- How does China rank for land use for palm oil production?
- China ranks 22nd out of 44 countries with data for 2024.
- Is land use for palm oil production rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. 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 (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use for palm oil production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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