China Does About 30 Times More Agricultural Drone Work Than the US

By early 2026 China had about 309,000 agricultural drones, which performed roughly 203 million hectare-treatments in 2025. US Part 137 operators treated about 16.4 million acres — roughly 6.64 million hectare-treatments, about 30 times less on comparable farmland.

• China: ~309,000 drones and 203 million hectare-treatments in 2025
• US: ~6.64 million hectare-treatments, 30 times less
• China added ~58,000 drones and 25 million treatments in a year
• Farmland is comparable: 128 million ha in China versus 133 million ha in the US