FAO projections of arable land in China
China: FAO projections of arable land was 127.58 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
127.58 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
4th
of 224 countries
All-time high
135.38 million hectares
in 2009
All-time low
99.31 million hectares
in 1980
Years of data
63
1961–2023
FAO projections of arable land 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
The most recent figure for fao projections of arable land in China is 127.58 million hectares, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fao projections of arable land in China peaked at 135.38 million hectares in 2009 and was at its lowest, 99.31 million hectares, in 1980.
That places China 4th out of 224 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.
FAO projections of arable land in China, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 104.35 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 104.10 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 103.95 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 103.80 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1965 | 103.60 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 103.20 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1967 | 102.80 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 102.40 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 102.00 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 101.60 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 101.25 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 100.87 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 100.48 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 101.10 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 99.71 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 1976 | 99.60 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 99.50 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 99.39 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 99.35 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1980 | 99.31 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1981 | 100.00 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 105.00 million hectares | +5.0% |
| 1983 | 110.80 million hectares | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 117.80 million hectares | +6.3% |
| 1985 | 125.00 million hectares | +6.1% |
| 1986 | 126.50 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 127.20 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 128.20 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 129.70 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 131.30 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 132.38 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 130.70 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 130.00 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 130.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 130.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 130.04 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 130.04 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 130.04 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 130.04 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 130.04 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 130.63 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 131.23 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 131.82 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 132.41 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 133.01 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 133.60 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 134.20 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 134.79 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 135.38 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 134.63 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 133.88 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 133.13 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 132.38 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 131.62 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 130.87 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 130.12 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 129.37 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 128.61 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 127.86 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 127.77 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 127.58 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 127.58 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 127.58 million hectares | +0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 127.58 million hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.58 million hectares, 81.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 127.58 million hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 141,800 hectares, 899.7× the median. (36 countries reporting)
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 reference data data for China
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 49.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 75.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 18.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 165.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 206.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 350.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,480 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 102.37 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fao projections of arable land in China?
- Fao projections of arable land 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 fao projections of arable land recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 135.38 million hectares in 2009.
- What is the lowest fao projections of arable land recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 99.31 million hectares in 1980.
- How does China rank for fao projections of arable land?
- China ranks 4th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fao projections of arable land 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 FAO projections of arable land. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Land allocated to arable production or permanent crops, measured in hectares. Values from 2030 onwards are FAO's 2018 projections under three different scenarios.