Palm oil imports in China
China: Palm oil imports was 5.64 million tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
5.64 million tonnes
Change on year
up 14.0%
World rank
2nd
of 190 countries
All-time high
7.55 million tonnes
in 2019
All-time low
0 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Palm oil imports in China, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for palm oil imports in China is 5.64 million tonnes, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 14.0% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, palm oil imports in China peaked at 7.55 million tonnes in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 1961.
China ranks 2nd of 190 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Palm oil imports in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1963 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1964 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1965 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1966 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1967 | 1,000 tonnes | — |
| 1968 | 0 tonnes | -100.0% |
| 1969 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1970 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1971 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1972 | 8,000 tonnes | — |
| 1973 | 5,000 tonnes | -37.5% |
| 1974 | 8,000 tonnes | +60.0% |
| 1975 | 8,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0 tonnes | -100.0% |
| 1977 | 25,000 tonnes | — |
| 1978 | 11,000 tonnes | -56.0% |
| 1979 | 42,000 tonnes | +281.8% |
| 1980 | 58,000 tonnes | +38.1% |
| 1981 | 21,000 tonnes | -63.8% |
| 1982 | 19,000 tonnes | -9.5% |
| 1983 | 16,000 tonnes | -15.8% |
| 1984 | 18,000 tonnes | +12.5% |
| 1985 | 57,000 tonnes | +216.7% |
| 1986 | 194,000 tonnes | +240.4% |
| 1987 | 256,000 tonnes | +32.0% |
| 1988 | 403,000 tonnes | +57.4% |
| 1989 | 738,000 tonnes | +83.1% |
| 1990 | 1.13 million tonnes | +53.7% |
| 1991 | 1.01 million tonnes | -11.0% |
| 1992 | 585,000 tonnes | -42.0% |
| 1993 | 801,000 tonnes | +36.9% |
| 1994 | 1.47 million tonnes | +82.9% |
| 1995 | 1.41 million tonnes | -3.7% |
| 1996 | 1.02 million tonnes | -27.4% |
| 1997 | 1.18 million tonnes | +15.1% |
| 1998 | 945,000 tonnes | -19.8% |
| 1999 | 1.28 million tonnes | +35.2% |
| 2000 | 1.53 million tonnes | +19.8% |
| 2001 | 1.67 million tonnes | +9.0% |
| 2002 | 2.37 million tonnes | +42.0% |
| 2003 | 3.50 million tonnes | +47.6% |
| 2004 | 4.04 million tonnes | +15.5% |
| 2005 | 4.49 million tonnes | +11.2% |
| 2006 | 5.24 million tonnes | +16.7% |
| 2007 | 5.24 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 5.45 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 6.64 million tonnes | +21.8% |
| 2010 | 5.70 million tonnes | -14.3% |
| 2011 | 5.91 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 6.34 million tonnes | +7.3% |
| 2013 | 5.98 million tonnes | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 5.32 million tonnes | -11.0% |
| 2015 | 5.91 million tonnes | +11.0% |
| 2016 | 4.48 million tonnes | -24.2% |
| 2017 | 5.08 million tonnes | +13.4% |
| 2018 | 5.33 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2019 | 7.55 million tonnes | +41.8% |
| 2020 | 6.46 million tonnes | -14.4% |
| 2021 | 6.38 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 4.94 million tonnes | -22.5% |
| 2023 | 5.64 million tonnes | +14.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 5.64 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6,000 tonnes, 939.5× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- China's 5.64 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5,000 tonnes, 1127.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Palm oil imports in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | +281.8% | 11,000 tonnes | 42,000 tonnes |
| 1986 | +240.4% | 57,000 tonnes | 194,000 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 111.11 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 1,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 10,700 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 42,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 178,000 tonnes | 16,000 tonnes | 738,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.08 million tonnes | 585,000 tonnes | 1.47 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.02 million tonnes | 1.53 million tonnes | 6.64 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.76 million tonnes | 4.48 million tonnes | 7.55 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.85 million tonnes | 4.94 million tonnes | 6.46 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
- 1 India 9.35 million tonnes compare
- 3 Pakistan 2.98 million tonnes compare
- 4 United States 1.85 million tonnes compare
- 5 Bangladesh 1.63 million tonnes compare
More energy & mining data for China
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 2.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 20.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is palm oil imports in China?
- Palm oil imports in China was 5.64 million tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest palm oil imports recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 7.55 million tonnes in 2019.
- What is the lowest palm oil imports recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 1961.
- How does China rank for palm oil imports?
- China ranks 2nd out of 190 countries with data for 2023.
- Is palm oil imports rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Palm oil imports. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).