China vs United States: Milk production
China
45.44 million tonnes
in 2024
United States
102.48 million tonnes
in 2024
China rank
5th
United States rank
2nd
Milk production over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 102.48 million tonnes against 45.44 million tonnes in China, a difference of 57.04 million tonnes.
That makes United States's figure about 2.3 times China's.
Across all 64 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
China ranks 5th and United States ranks 2nd of 192 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.90 million tonnes | 55.45 million tonnes | 53.55 million tonnes | United States |
| 1970s | 2.30 million tonnes | 53.96 million tonnes | 51.67 million tonnes | United States |
| 1980s | 4.59 million tonnes | 63.03 million tonnes | 58.45 million tonnes | United States |
| 1990s | 8.80 million tonnes | 69.68 million tonnes | 60.88 million tonnes | United States |
| 2000s | 25.94 million tonnes | 80.20 million tonnes | 54.26 million tonnes | United States |
| 2010s | 35.56 million tonnes | 93.91 million tonnes | 58.34 million tonnes | United States |
| 2020s | 43.32 million tonnes | 102.37 million tonnes | 59.05 million tonnes | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher milk production, China or United States?
- United States, at 102.48 million tonnes against 45.44 million tonnes in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in milk production between China and United States?
- 57.04 million tonnes, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 64 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2024.
- How do China and United States rank globally for milk production?
- China ranks 5th and United States ranks 2nd of 192 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 Milk production. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Milk represents the raw equivalents of all dairy products including cheese, yoghurt, cream and milk consumed as the final product.