China Has the World's Largest Agricultural Land, Indonesia Lags Far Behind

Agricultural land forms the fundamental foundation for global food production. Overall, the world’s agricultural land area exceeds 18 million square miles and is distributed across various regions.

Based on data compiled by Visual Capitalist from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Bank, numerous countries are recorded as possessing very extensive agricultural land.

In this ranking, China and the United States occupy the top positions, whilst Indonesia remains far behind.

China ranks first as the country with the world’s largest agricultural land area, with its agricultural area reaching 2.009 million square miles. As the country with the world’s largest agricultural land, China dominates the first position with a considerable margin compared to other countries, even compared to second place.

Several other countries also feature in the top rankings, including Brazil, Russia, Kazakhstan, and India.

The top 15 countries with the world’s largest agricultural land areas show a diverse geographical distribution. Meanwhile, Indonesia ranks 16th with agricultural land covering 212.828 square miles.

China’s dominance is inseparable from the significant role of the agricultural sector in the country’s economy. Approximately one-fifth of its population works in agriculture. Furthermore, China is recognised as both the world’s largest producer and consumer of various agricultural commodities, ranging from rice to vegetables.

This ranking demonstrates that countries with extensive agricultural land are distributed across various continents. Asia dominates through China, India, and Kazakhstan, whilst the Americas are represented by the United States, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. In Africa, countries with extensive agricultural land include Sudan, Nigeria, and South Africa. Australia stands as the sole representative from the Oceania region in the top rankings.