Australia vs South Africa: Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen

Australia
480,744 t
in 2023
South Africa
297,434 t
in 2023
Australia rank
27th
South Africa rank
33rd

Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen over time

  • Australia
  • South Africa
-500.0k0500.0k1.0M196119922023

How they compare

Australia currently reports 480,744 t against 297,434 t in South Africa, a difference of 183,310 t.

That makes Australia's figure about 1.6 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 17 times across 63 shared years of data; in 1961 it was South Africa ahead.

Australia ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 33rd of 185 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Australia South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s -103,909 t 38,463 t 142,372 t South Africa
1970s -80,620 t 127,231 t 207,851 t South Africa
1980s -58,793 t 212,210 t 271,003 t South Africa
1990s 195,418 t 219,031 t 23,613 t South Africa
2000s 250,528 t 219,002 t 31,527 t Australia
2010s 410,030 t 254,335 t 155,695 t Australia
2020s 671,609 t 348,379 t 323,230 t Australia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen, Australia or South Africa?
Australia, at 480,744 t against 297,434 t in South Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen between Australia and South Africa?
183,310 t, with Australia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Africa?
63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
How do Australia and South Africa rank globally for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen?
Australia ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 33rd of 185 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Australia vs South Africa: Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/nutrient-balance-cropland-nitrogen/australia/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen
Unit
t
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
233 places, 13,500 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

The Cropland Nutrient balance domain contains information on the flows of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from mineral fertilizer, manure applied, atmospheric deposition, crop removal, and biological fixation over cropland and per unit area of cropland. The flows are aggregated to total inputs and total outputs, from which the overall nutrient balance and nutrient use efficiency on cropland are calculated. Statistics are disseminated in units of tonnes and in kg/ha, as appropriate. Nutrient use efficiency is expressed as a fraction (%).