Soybean production in China
China: Soybean production was 20.65 million tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
20.65 million tonnes
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
4th
of 116 countries
All-time high
20.84 million tonnes
in 2023
All-time low
6.14 million tonnes
in 1965
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Soybean 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 20.65 million tonnes for soybean production in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and up 69.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, soybean production in China peaked at 20.84 million tonnes in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.14 million tonnes, in 1965.
That places China 4th out of 116 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Soybean production in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 6.21 million tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 6.51 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1963 | 6.91 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1964 | 7.87 million tonnes | +13.9% |
| 1965 | 6.14 million tonnes | -22.0% |
| 1966 | 8.27 million tonnes | +34.7% |
| 1967 | 8.27 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 8.04 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1969 | 7.63 million tonnes | -5.1% |
| 1970 | 8.71 million tonnes | +14.2% |
| 1971 | 8.61 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1972 | 6.45 million tonnes | -25.1% |
| 1973 | 8.37 million tonnes | +29.8% |
| 1974 | 7.47 million tonnes | -10.8% |
| 1975 | 7.24 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 1976 | 6.64 million tonnes | -8.3% |
| 1977 | 7.26 million tonnes | +9.3% |
| 1978 | 7.57 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1979 | 7.46 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 7.94 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 1981 | 9.32 million tonnes | +17.4% |
| 1982 | 9.03 million tonnes | -3.2% |
| 1983 | 9.76 million tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1984 | 9.70 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 10.50 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1986 | 11.61 million tonnes | +10.6% |
| 1987 | 12.18 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 11.64 million tonnes | -4.4% |
| 1989 | 10.23 million tonnes | -12.2% |
| 1990 | 11.00 million tonnes | +7.5% |
| 1991 | 9.71 million tonnes | -11.7% |
| 1992 | 10.30 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1993 | 15.31 million tonnes | +48.6% |
| 1994 | 16.00 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1995 | 13.50 million tonnes | -15.6% |
| 1996 | 13.22 million tonnes | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 14.73 million tonnes | +11.4% |
| 1998 | 15.15 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 14.25 million tonnes | -6.0% |
| 2000 | 15.41 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 2001 | 15.41 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 16.51 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2003 | 15.39 million tonnes | -6.7% |
| 2004 | 17.40 million tonnes | +13.0% |
| 2005 | 16.35 million tonnes | -6.1% |
| 2006 | 15.08 million tonnes | -7.7% |
| 2007 | 12.72 million tonnes | -15.6% |
| 2008 | 15.54 million tonnes | +22.1% |
| 2009 | 14.98 million tonnes | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 15.08 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 14.49 million tonnes | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 13.01 million tonnes | -10.2% |
| 2013 | 11.95 million tonnes | -8.1% |
| 2014 | 12.15 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 11.79 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 12.79 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 2017 | 15.28 million tonnes | +19.5% |
| 2018 | 15.97 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2019 | 18.10 million tonnes | +13.4% |
| 2020 | 19.60 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 2021 | 16.40 million tonnes | -16.4% |
| 2022 | 20.28 million tonnes | +23.7% |
| 2023 | 20.84 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 20.65 million tonnes | -0.9% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 20.65 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 31,555 tonnes, 654.4× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- China's 20.65 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 48,564 tonnes, 425.2× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.32 million tonnes | 6.14 million tonnes | 8.27 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.58 million tonnes | 6.45 million tonnes | 8.71 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.19 million tonnes | 7.94 million tonnes | 12.18 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.32 million tonnes | 9.71 million tonnes | 16.00 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.48 million tonnes | 12.72 million tonnes | 17.40 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.06 million tonnes | 11.79 million tonnes | 18.10 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.55 million tonnes | 16.40 million tonnes | 20.84 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 soybean production in China?
- Soybean production in China was 20.65 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 soybean production recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 20.84 million tonnes in 2023.
- What is the lowest soybean production recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.14 million tonnes in 1965.
- How does China rank for soybean production?
- China ranks 4th out of 116 countries with data for 2024.
- Is soybean production rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 69.9%. 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 Soybean production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Soybean production is measured in tonnes.