China vs United States: Land area in hectares
China
938.82 million hectares
in 2023
United States
914.74 million hectares
in 2023
China rank
2nd
United States rank
3rd
Land area in hectares over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 938.82 million hectares against 914.74 million hectares in United States, a difference of 24.08 million hectares.
Across all 63 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 3rd of 233 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 938.83 million hectares | 915.90 million hectares | 22.93 million hectares | China |
| 1970s | 938.83 million hectares | 915.90 million hectares | 22.93 million hectares | China |
| 1980s | 938.83 million hectares | 915.90 million hectares | 22.93 million hectares | China |
| 1990s | 938.82 million hectares | 915.90 million hectares | 22.93 million hectares | China |
| 2000s | 938.82 million hectares | 915.90 million hectares | 22.92 million hectares | China |
| 2010s | 938.82 million hectares | 914.74 million hectares | 24.08 million hectares | China |
| 2020s | 938.82 million hectares | 914.74 million hectares | 24.08 million hectares | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher land area in hectares, China or United States?
- China, at 938.82 million hectares against 914.74 million hectares in United States as of 2023.
- What is the difference in land area in hectares between China and United States?
- 24.08 million hectares, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
- How do China and United States rank globally for land area in hectares?
- China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 3rd of 233 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Land area in hectares. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total land area, measured in hectares. 100 hectares is one square kilometer. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.