Corn production in China
China: Corn production was 294.92 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
294.92 million tonnes
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
2nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
294.92 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
16.25 million tonnes
in 1962
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Corn production in China, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
China recorded 294.92 million tonnes for corn production in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and up 36.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, corn production in China peaked at 294.92 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 16.25 million tonnes, in 1962.
That places China 2nd out of 176 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Corn production in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 18.00 million tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 16.25 million tonnes | -9.7% |
| 1963 | 20.58 million tonnes | +26.6% |
| 1964 | 22.69 million tonnes | +10.3% |
| 1965 | 23.65 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1966 | 29.13 million tonnes | +23.2% |
| 1967 | 30.95 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1968 | 29.07 million tonnes | -6.1% |
| 1969 | 28.42 million tonnes | -2.2% |
| 1970 | 33.03 million tonnes | +16.2% |
| 1971 | 35.85 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 1972 | 32.10 million tonnes | -10.5% |
| 1973 | 38.63 million tonnes | +20.3% |
| 1974 | 42.92 million tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1975 | 47.22 million tonnes | +10.0% |
| 1976 | 48.15 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 49.40 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 55.95 million tonnes | +13.3% |
| 1979 | 60.04 million tonnes | +7.3% |
| 1980 | 62.60 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1981 | 59.21 million tonnes | -5.4% |
| 1982 | 60.56 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1983 | 68.21 million tonnes | +12.6% |
| 1984 | 73.41 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1985 | 63.83 million tonnes | -13.1% |
| 1986 | 70.86 million tonnes | +11.0% |
| 1987 | 79.24 million tonnes | +11.8% |
| 1988 | 77.35 million tonnes | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 78.93 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 96.82 million tonnes | +22.7% |
| 1991 | 98.77 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 95.38 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 1993 | 102.70 million tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1994 | 99.28 million tonnes | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 111.99 million tonnes | +12.8% |
| 1996 | 127.47 million tonnes | +13.8% |
| 1997 | 104.31 million tonnes | -18.2% |
| 1998 | 132.95 million tonnes | +27.5% |
| 1999 | 128.09 million tonnes | -3.7% |
| 2000 | 106.00 million tonnes | -17.2% |
| 2001 | 114.09 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 2002 | 120.00 million tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2003 | 115.83 million tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2004 | 130.29 million tonnes | +12.5% |
| 2005 | 139.37 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2006 | 151.60 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 2007 | 152.30 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 165.91 million tonnes | +8.9% |
| 2009 | 163.97 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 177.43 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 2011 | 192.78 million tonnes | +8.7% |
| 2012 | 205.61 million tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2013 | 218.49 million tonnes | +6.3% |
| 2014 | 215.65 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 264.99 million tonnes | +22.9% |
| 2016 | 263.61 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 259.07 million tonnes | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 257.17 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 260.78 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 260.67 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 272.55 million tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2022 | 277.20 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 288.84 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 2024 | 294.92 million tonnes | +2.1% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 294.92 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 246,650 tonnes, 1195.7× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- China's 294.92 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 345,736 tonnes, 853.0× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 24.30 million tonnes | 16.25 million tonnes | 30.95 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 44.33 million tonnes | 32.10 million tonnes | 60.04 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 69.42 million tonnes | 59.21 million tonnes | 79.24 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 109.78 million tonnes | 95.38 million tonnes | 132.95 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 135.94 million tonnes | 106.00 million tonnes | 165.91 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 231.56 million tonnes | 177.43 million tonnes | 264.99 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 278.84 million tonnes | 260.67 million tonnes | 294.92 million tonnes | 5 |
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 corn production in China?
- Corn production in China was 294.92 million tonnes 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 corn production recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 294.92 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest corn production recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.25 million tonnes in 1962.
- How does China rank for corn production?
- China ranks 2nd out of 176 countries with data for 2024.
- Is corn production rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Corn production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Corn (maize) production is measured in tonnes.