Milk production in China
China: Milk production was 45.44 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
45.44 million tonnes
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
5th
of 192 countries
All-time high
46.78 million tonnes
in 2023
All-time low
1.83 million tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Milk 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
In 2024, milk production in China stood at 45.44 million tonnes.
That represents a change of down 2.9% on the previous year and up 25.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, milk production in China peaked at 46.78 million tonnes in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.83 million tonnes, in 1961.
China ranks 5th of 192 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Milk production in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.83 million tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 1.87 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 1.90 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1964 | 1.92 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1965 | 1.95 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1966 | 1.96 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 1.95 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1968 | 1.84 million tonnes | -5.8% |
| 1969 | 1.87 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 1.94 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1971 | 2.01 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1972 | 2.07 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1973 | 2.15 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 2.23 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1975 | 2.32 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1976 | 2.41 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1977 | 2.50 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1978 | 2.76 million tonnes | +10.6% |
| 1979 | 2.60 million tonnes | -5.8% |
| 1980 | 2.87 million tonnes | +10.5% |
| 1981 | 3.13 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1982 | 3.51 million tonnes | +12.2% |
| 1983 | 3.87 million tonnes | +10.1% |
| 1984 | 4.31 million tonnes | +11.4% |
| 1985 | 4.67 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1986 | 5.18 million tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1987 | 5.74 million tonnes | +10.8% |
| 1988 | 6.19 million tonnes | +7.9% |
| 1989 | 6.39 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 6.82 million tonnes | +6.8% |
| 1991 | 7.39 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1992 | 7.81 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1993 | 7.86 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 8.37 million tonnes | +6.6% |
| 1995 | 9.15 million tonnes | +9.3% |
| 1996 | 9.84 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1997 | 9.73 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 10.15 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1999 | 10.87 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2000 | 11.99 million tonnes | +10.2% |
| 2001 | 14.14 million tonnes | +18.0% |
| 2002 | 16.95 million tonnes | +19.9% |
| 2003 | 21.49 million tonnes | +26.8% |
| 2004 | 26.56 million tonnes | +23.6% |
| 2005 | 31.70 million tonnes | +19.3% |
| 2006 | 33.64 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 2007 | 33.70 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 34.41 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 34.81 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 35.43 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 35.96 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 36.33 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 34.56 million tonnes | -4.8% |
| 2014 | 36.24 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2015 | 36.09 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 34.97 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 34.65 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 35.04 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 36.35 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 38.89 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2021 | 41.44 million tonnes | +6.6% |
| 2022 | 44.06 million tonnes | +6.3% |
| 2023 | 46.78 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 2024 | 45.44 million tonnes | -2.9% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 45.44 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 542,686 tonnes, 83.7× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- China's 45.44 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 29,145 tonnes, 1559.2× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.90 million tonnes | 1.83 million tonnes | 1.96 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.30 million tonnes | 1.94 million tonnes | 2.76 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.59 million tonnes | 2.87 million tonnes | 6.39 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.80 million tonnes | 6.82 million tonnes | 10.87 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.94 million tonnes | 11.99 million tonnes | 34.81 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.56 million tonnes | 34.56 million tonnes | 36.35 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.32 million tonnes | 38.89 million tonnes | 46.78 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 milk production in China?
- Milk production in China was 45.44 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 milk production recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 46.78 million tonnes in 2023.
- What is the lowest milk production recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.83 million tonnes in 1961.
- How does China rank for milk production?
- China ranks 5th out of 192 countries with data for 2024.
- Is milk production rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.4%. 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 Milk 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
Milk represents the raw equivalents of all dairy products including cheese, yoghurt, cream and milk consumed as the final product.