Oil palm production in China
China: Oil palm production was 112,877 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
112,877 tonnes
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
21st
of 48 countries
All-time high
248,020 tonnes
in 2005
All-time low
40,000 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Oil palm production in China, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, oil palm production in China stood at 112,877 tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil palm production in China peaked at 248,020 tonnes in 2005 and was at its lowest, 40,000 tonnes, in 1961.
That places China 21st out of 48 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Oil palm production in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 40,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 40,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 40,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 40,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 40,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 60,000 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 1967 | 72,000 tonnes | +20.0% |
| 1968 | 88,000 tonnes | +22.2% |
| 1969 | 100,000 tonnes | +13.6% |
| 1970 | 112,000 tonnes | +12.0% |
| 1971 | 128,000 tonnes | +14.3% |
| 1972 | 148,000 tonnes | +15.6% |
| 1973 | 152,000 tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 156,000 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 156,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 164,000 tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1977 | 160,000 tonnes | -2.4% |
| 1978 | 168,000 tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1979 | 172,000 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 160,000 tonnes | -7.0% |
| 1981 | 164,000 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 180,000 tonnes | +9.8% |
| 1983 | 188,000 tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1984 | 184,000 tonnes | -2.1% |
| 1985 | 240,000 tonnes | +30.4% |
| 1986 | 240,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 223,000 tonnes | -7.1% |
| 1988 | 213,000 tonnes | -4.5% |
| 1989 | 203,000 tonnes | -4.7% |
| 1990 | 180,000 tonnes | -11.3% |
| 1991 | 184,628 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1992 | 192,000 tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1993 | 200,000 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 211,948 tonnes | +6.0% |
| 1995 | 220,822 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1996 | 202,000 tonnes | -8.5% |
| 1997 | 205,000 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 207,000 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 210,000 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 213,000 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 217,000 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 220,000 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 223,000 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 225,000 tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 248,020 tonnes | +10.2% |
| 2006 | 217,000 tonnes | -12.5% |
| 2007 | 221,000 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 225,000 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 230,000 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 135,663 tonnes | -41.0% |
| 2011 | 132,667 tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 135,663 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 138,688 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 114,110 tonnes | -17.7% |
| 2015 | 112,496 tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 112,290 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 112,336 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 112,382 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 112,965 tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 112,390 tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 113,132 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 112,853 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 112,877 tonnes | +0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 112,877 tonnes is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 223,400 tonnes, 51% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
- China's 112,877 tonnes is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 135,200 tonnes, 83% of the median. (9 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Oil palm production 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | +50.0% | 40,000 tonnes | 60,000 tonnes |
| 2010 | -41.0% | 230,000 tonnes | 135,663 tonnes |
| 1985 | +30.4% | 184,000 tonnes | 240,000 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 57,778 tonnes | 40,000 tonnes | 100,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 151,600 tonnes | 112,000 tonnes | 172,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 199,500 tonnes | 160,000 tonnes | 240,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 201,340 tonnes | 180,000 tonnes | 220,822 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 223,902 tonnes | 213,000 tonnes | 248,020 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 121,926 tonnes | 112,290 tonnes | 138,688 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 112,813 tonnes | 112,390 tonnes | 113,132 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
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 oil palm production in China?
- Oil palm production in China was 112,877 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest oil palm production recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 248,020 tonnes in 2005.
- What is the lowest oil palm production recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 40,000 tonnes in 1961.
- How does China rank for oil palm production?
- China ranks 21st out of 48 countries with data for 2023.
- Is oil palm production rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.6%. 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 Oil palm production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Oil palm production is measured in tonnes.