The Chinese Famine of 1907 is the second-worst famine in recorded history, with an estimated death toll of around 25 million people; this exceeds the lowest estimates for the death toll of the later Great Chinese Famine, meaning that the 1907 famine could actually be the worst in history. Because of population figures it is exceptionally unlikely that a famine from early history could have resulted in a greater number of deaths than a famine occurring later.

The Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) had actually seen significant gains to China's food production capacity, in response to explosive population growth. The population had for centuries been spreading out from the densely populated urban areas to the open opportunities of the frontier, and the challenges of settling new regions led ...