Soybeans: are they used for food, feed or fuel? in China
China: Soybeans: are they used for food, feed or fuel? was 7.71 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
7.71 million tonnes
Change on year
up 6.3%
World rank
1st
of 191 countries
All-time high
7.75 million tonnes
in 2020
All-time low
2.81 million tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Soybeans: are they used for food, feed or fuel? in China, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
China recorded 7.71 million tonnes for soybeans: are they used for food, feed or fuel? in 2023.
The figure is up 6.3% on the previous year and up 75.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, soybeans: are they used for food, feed or fuel? in China peaked at 7.75 million tonnes in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.81 million tonnes, in 1961.
That places China 1st out of 191 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.
Soybeans: are they used for food, feed or fuel? in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.81 million tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 2.95 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1963 | 3.32 million tonnes | +12.5% |
| 1964 | 3.50 million tonnes | +5.4% |
| 1965 | 2.97 million tonnes | -15.1% |
| 1966 | 4.05 million tonnes | +36.4% |
| 1967 | 4.10 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1968 | 3.94 million tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1969 | 3.75 million tonnes | -4.8% |
| 1970 | 4.08 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1971 | 4.25 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 3.62 million tonnes | -14.7% |
| 1973 | 4.25 million tonnes | +17.4% |
| 1974 | 3.92 million tonnes | -7.8% |
| 1975 | 3.70 million tonnes | -5.6% |
| 1976 | 3.55 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 1977 | 3.64 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 3.60 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 3.60 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3.81 million tonnes | +6.0% |
| 1981 | 4.03 million tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1982 | 3.77 million tonnes | -6.3% |
| 1983 | 3.67 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1984 | 3.66 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 3.65 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 4.15 million tonnes | +13.7% |
| 1987 | 4.19 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 4.29 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 3.93 million tonnes | -8.4% |
| 1990 | 4.04 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 3.49 million tonnes | -13.6% |
| 1992 | 4.09 million tonnes | +17.2% |
| 1993 | 5.29 million tonnes | +29.3% |
| 1994 | 6.39 million tonnes | +20.8% |
| 1995 | 5.49 million tonnes | -14.1% |
| 1996 | 5.59 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 6.89 million tonnes | +23.2% |
| 1998 | 5.49 million tonnes | -20.3% |
| 1999 | 4.24 million tonnes | -22.8% |
| 2000 | 4.89 million tonnes | +15.3% |
| 2001 | 4.89 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 4.34 million tonnes | -11.3% |
| 2003 | 4.59 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 4.71 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 5.11 million tonnes | +8.6% |
| 2006 | 5.01 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 4.88 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 4.98 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 5.18 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 5.28 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 4.29 million tonnes | -18.7% |
| 2012 | 4.16 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 4.39 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2014 | 5.13 million tonnes | +16.8% |
| 2015 | 5.23 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 6.00 million tonnes | +14.6% |
| 2017 | 7.03 million tonnes | +17.2% |
| 2018 | 7.03 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 6.94 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 7.75 million tonnes | +11.6% |
| 2021 | 7.36 million tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2022 | 7.25 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 7.71 million tonnes | +6.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 7.71 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,000 tonnes, 7708.0× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.49 million tonnes | 2.81 million tonnes | 4.10 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.82 million tonnes | 3.55 million tonnes | 4.25 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.92 million tonnes | 3.65 million tonnes | 4.29 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.10 million tonnes | 3.49 million tonnes | 6.89 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.86 million tonnes | 4.34 million tonnes | 5.18 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.55 million tonnes | 4.16 million tonnes | 7.03 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.52 million tonnes | 7.25 million tonnes | 7.75 million tonnes | 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 soybeans: are they used for food, feed or fuel? in China?
- Soybeans: are they used for food, feed or fuel? in China was 7.71 million tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest soybeans: are they used for food, feed or fuel? recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 7.75 million tonnes in 2020.
- What is the lowest soybeans: are they used for food, feed or fuel? recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.81 million tonnes in 1961.
- How does China rank for soybeans: are they used for food, feed or fuel??
- China ranks 1st out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
- Is soybeans: are they used for food, feed or fuel? rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 75.6%. 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) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Soybeans: are they used for food, feed or fuel?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Quantity that is allocated for direct consumption as human food, rather than allocation to animal feed or industrial uses.