BEIJING — China has reported a decrease in the area affected by soil erosion in 2020 as the country's environment continued to improve.

The total area of land with soil erosion was 2.69 million square kilometers last year, down 977,600 sq km from the peak in the 1980s, according to data from the Ministry of Water Resources.

The area affected by soil erosion in 2020 was down 18,100 sq km, or 0.67 percent, from the 2019 level, said the ministry, which carried out the monitoring of soil erosion across the country last year.

The area of soil eroded by water stood at 1.12 million sq km in 2020, decreasing by 1.3 percent from 2019, while the area affected by wind erosion reached 1.57 million sq km, down 0.21 percent.