Land use in China
China: Land use was 127.58 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Land use in China, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
China recorded 127.58 million hectares for land use in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in China peaked at 135.38 million hectares in 2009 and was at its lowest, 99.31 million hectares, in 1980.
That places China 3rd out of 223 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 103.36 million hectares | 102.00 million hectares | 104.35 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 100.28 million hectares | 99.35 million hectares | 101.60 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 116.95 million hectares | 99.31 million hectares | 129.70 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 130.45 million hectares | 130.00 million hectares | 132.38 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 132.71 million hectares | 130.04 million hectares | 135.38 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 131.25 million hectares | 127.86 million hectares | 134.63 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 127.63 million hectares | 127.58 million hectares | 127.77 million hectares | 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 land use in China?
- Land use in China was 127.58 million hectares in 2023, 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 recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 135.38 million hectares in 2009.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 99.31 million hectares in 1980.
- How does China rank for land use?
- China ranks 3rd out of 223 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).