Agricultural land area

(sq. km)

China is the top country by agricultural land area in the world. As of 2021, agricultural land area in China was 5.21 million sq. km that accounts for 10.89% of the world's agricultural land area. The top 5 countries (others are the United States of America, Australia, Brazil, and Russian Federation) account for 36.51% of it. The world's total agricultural land area was estimated at 47.8 million sq. km in 2021.

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What is agricultural land area?

Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded. Land under permanent crops is land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, and rubber. This category includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber. Permanent pasture is land used for five or more years for forage, including natural and cultivated crops.