Tobacco production in China
China: Tobacco production was 2.26 million tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
2.26 million tonnes
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
1st
of 146 countries
All-time high
4.25 million tonnes
in 1997
All-time low
380,000 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Tobacco 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 2.26 million tonnes for tobacco production in 2024.
The figure is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 24.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tobacco production in China peaked at 4.25 million tonnes in 1997 and was at its lowest, 380,000 tonnes, in 1961.
That places China 1st out of 146 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.
Tobacco production in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 380,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 420,000 tonnes | +10.5% |
| 1963 | 480,000 tonnes | +14.3% |
| 1964 | 550,000 tonnes | +14.6% |
| 1965 | 600,000 tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1966 | 789,200 tonnes | +31.5% |
| 1967 | 848,200 tonnes | +7.5% |
| 1968 | 848,200 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 775,600 tonnes | -8.6% |
| 1970 | 785,000 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 785,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 840,000 tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1973 | 950,000 tonnes | +13.1% |
| 1974 | 984,000 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1975 | 960,000 tonnes | -2.4% |
| 1976 | 970,000 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 987,000 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 1.24 million tonnes | +25.8% |
| 1979 | 941,400 tonnes | -24.2% |
| 1980 | 900,000 tonnes | -4.4% |
| 1981 | 1.50 million tonnes | +66.3% |
| 1982 | 2.18 million tonnes | +45.6% |
| 1983 | 1.38 million tonnes | -36.6% |
| 1984 | 1.79 million tonnes | +29.6% |
| 1985 | 2.42 million tonnes | +35.5% |
| 1986 | 1.71 million tonnes | -29.6% |
| 1987 | 1.94 million tonnes | +13.8% |
| 1988 | 2.73 million tonnes | +40.7% |
| 1989 | 2.83 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1990 | 2.63 million tonnes | -7.2% |
| 1991 | 3.03 million tonnes | +15.4% |
| 1992 | 3.50 million tonnes | +15.4% |
| 1993 | 3.45 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 2.24 million tonnes | -35.1% |
| 1995 | 2.31 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 3.23 million tonnes | +39.8% |
| 1997 | 4.25 million tonnes | +31.4% |
| 1998 | 2.36 million tonnes | -44.4% |
| 1999 | 2.47 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 2.55 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 2.35 million tonnes | -7.9% |
| 2002 | 2.45 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 2.26 million tonnes | -7.7% |
| 2004 | 2.41 million tonnes | +6.6% |
| 2005 | 2.68 million tonnes | +11.5% |
| 2006 | 2.74 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 2.40 million tonnes | -12.7% |
| 2008 | 2.84 million tonnes | +18.5% |
| 2009 | 3.07 million tonnes | +8.0% |
| 2010 | 3.00 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 3.16 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 3.41 million tonnes | +7.9% |
| 2013 | 3.37 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 3.00 million tonnes | -11.2% |
| 2015 | 2.68 million tonnes | -10.6% |
| 2016 | 2.57 million tonnes | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 2.39 million tonnes | -7.1% |
| 2018 | 2.24 million tonnes | -6.3% |
| 2019 | 2.61 million tonnes | +16.5% |
| 2020 | 2.13 million tonnes | -18.3% |
| 2021 | 2.13 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 2.19 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 2.30 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 2024 | 2.26 million tonnes | -1.8% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 2.26 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3,319 tonnes, 679.8× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- China's 2.26 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12,410 tonnes, 181.8× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 632,356 tonnes | 380,000 tonnes | 848,200 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 944,440 tonnes | 785,000 tonnes | 1.24 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.94 million tonnes | 900,000 tonnes | 2.83 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.95 million tonnes | 2.24 million tonnes | 4.25 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.57 million tonnes | 2.26 million tonnes | 3.07 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.84 million tonnes | 2.24 million tonnes | 3.41 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.20 million tonnes | 2.13 million tonnes | 2.30 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 tobacco production in China?
- Tobacco production in China was 2.26 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 tobacco production recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 4.25 million tonnes in 1997.
- What is the lowest tobacco production recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 380,000 tonnes in 1961.
- How does China rank for tobacco production?
- China ranks 1st out of 146 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tobacco production rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.7%. 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 Tobacco 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
Tobacco production is measured in tonnes.