Sweet potato production in China
China: Sweet potato production was 51.35 million tonnes in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
51.35 million tonnes
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
1st
of 120 countries
All-time high
130.80 million tonnes
in 1973
All-time low
50.16 million tonnes
in 2019
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Sweet potato 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
The most recent figure for sweet potato production in China is 51.35 million tonnes, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sweet potato production in China peaked at 130.80 million tonnes in 1973 and was at its lowest, 50.16 million tonnes, in 2019.
That places China 1st out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Sweet potato production in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 74.02 million tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 80.00 million tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1963 | 73.60 million tonnes | -8.0% |
| 1964 | 66.50 million tonnes | -9.6% |
| 1965 | 83.30 million tonnes | +25.3% |
| 1966 | 94.75 million tonnes | +13.7% |
| 1967 | 94.25 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 93.65 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 101.30 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 1970 | 111.90 million tonnes | +10.5% |
| 1971 | 103.65 million tonnes | -7.4% |
| 1972 | 99.10 million tonnes | -4.4% |
| 1973 | 130.80 million tonnes | +32.0% |
| 1974 | 115.20 million tonnes | -11.9% |
| 1975 | 118.50 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1976 | 110.70 million tonnes | -6.6% |
| 1977 | 121.65 million tonnes | +9.9% |
| 1978 | 130.13 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1979 | 116.69 million tonnes | -10.3% |
| 1980 | 117.79 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 105.18 million tonnes | -10.7% |
| 1982 | 109.55 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1983 | 118.46 million tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1984 | 114.18 million tonnes | -3.6% |
| 1985 | 103.43 million tonnes | -9.4% |
| 1986 | 101.69 million tonnes | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 114.44 million tonnes | +12.5% |
| 1988 | 103.20 million tonnes | -9.8% |
| 1989 | 105.44 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 104.70 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 105.39 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 104.43 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 113.15 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1994 | 107.47 million tonnes | -5.0% |
| 1995 | 117.18 million tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1996 | 123.76 million tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1997 | 102.41 million tonnes | -17.3% |
| 1998 | 115.45 million tonnes | +12.7% |
| 1999 | 125.92 million tonnes | +9.1% |
| 2000 | 117.98 million tonnes | -6.3% |
| 2001 | 113.59 million tonnes | -3.7% |
| 2002 | 113.11 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 107.56 million tonnes | -4.9% |
| 2004 | 105.66 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 102.53 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 81.04 million tonnes | -21.0% |
| 2007 | 75.60 million tonnes | -6.7% |
| 2008 | 78.23 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 69.81 million tonnes | -10.8% |
| 2010 | 65.60 million tonnes | -6.0% |
| 2011 | 64.64 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 59.79 million tonnes | -7.5% |
| 2013 | 56.89 million tonnes | -4.8% |
| 2014 | 55.78 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 54.20 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 51.39 million tonnes | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 51.45 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 53.01 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 50.16 million tonnes | -5.4% |
| 2020 | 51.54 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 51.57 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 51.09 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 51.40 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 51.35 million tonnes | -0.1% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 51.35 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 12,731 tonnes, 4033.8× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- China's 51.35 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 55,628 tonnes, 923.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 84.60 million tonnes | 66.50 million tonnes | 101.30 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 115.83 million tonnes | 99.10 million tonnes | 130.80 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 109.34 million tonnes | 101.69 million tonnes | 118.46 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 111.99 million tonnes | 102.41 million tonnes | 125.92 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 96.51 million tonnes | 69.81 million tonnes | 117.98 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.29 million tonnes | 50.16 million tonnes | 65.60 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.39 million tonnes | 51.09 million tonnes | 51.57 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 sweet potato production in China?
- Sweet potato production in China was 51.35 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 sweet potato production recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 130.80 million tonnes in 1973.
- What is the lowest sweet potato production recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.16 million tonnes in 2019.
- How does China rank for sweet potato production?
- China ranks 1st out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sweet potato production rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Sweet potato 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
Sweet potato production is measured in tonnes.