Atmospheric deposition — Cropland nitrogen in China

China: Atmospheric deposition — Cropland nitrogen was 3.11 million t in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
3.11 million t
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
2nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
3.76 million t
in 2012
All-time low
484,544 t
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Atmospheric deposition — Cropland nitrogen in China, 1961–2023

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M196119922023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in t.

Analysis

The most recent figure for atmospheric deposition — cropland nitrogen in China is 3.11 million t, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 14.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, atmospheric deposition — cropland nitrogen in China peaked at 3.76 million t in 2012 and was at its lowest, 484,544 t, in 1961.

That places China 2nd out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Atmospheric deposition — Cropland nitrogen in China, year by year

Annual values for Atmospheric deposition — Cropland nitrogen in China, 1961 to 2023.
Year t Change
1961 484,544 t —
1962 493,881 t +1.9%
1963 503,972 t +2.0%
1964 514,250 t +2.0%
1965 524,470 t +2.0%
1966 533,919 t +1.8%
1967 543,478 t +1.8%
1968 553,205 t +1.8%
1969 563,116 t +1.8%
1970 573,194 t +1.8%
1971 561,496 t -2.0%
1972 585,152 t +4.2%
1973 598,328 t +2.3%
1974 594,088 t -0.7%
1975 648,127 t +9.1%
1976 678,626 t +4.7%
1977 751,853 t +10.8%
1978 818,700 t +8.9%
1979 862,941 t +5.4%
1980 879,245 t +1.9%
1981 916,642 t +4.3%
1982 1.00 million t +9.5%
1983 1.12 million t +12.0%
1984 1.28 million t +13.5%
1985 1.33 million t +3.9%
1986 1.39 million t +4.6%
1987 1.55 million t +11.4%
1988 1.67 million t +7.9%
1989 1.75 million t +4.8%
1990 1.58 million t -9.4%
1991 1.89 million t +19.7%
1992 1.95 million t +3.1%
1993 1.95 million t -0.0%
1994 2.03 million t +3.8%
1995 2.32 million t +14.3%
1996 2.49 million t +7.6%
1997 2.81 million t +12.9%
1998 2.88 million t +2.5%
1999 2.91 million t +1.0%
2000 2.95 million t +1.4%
2001 2.97 million t +0.6%
2002 3.01 million t +1.5%
2003 3.19 million t +5.8%
2004 3.19 million t +0.0%
2005 3.29 million t +3.1%
2006 3.40 million t +3.3%
2007 3.50 million t +3.0%
2008 3.55 million t +1.5%
2009 3.67 million t +3.3%
2010 3.65 million t -0.4%
2011 3.67 million t +0.5%
2012 3.76 million t +2.5%
2013 3.61 million t -3.9%
2014 3.43 million t -5.0%
2015 3.37 million t -1.7%
2016 3.26 million t -3.4%
2017 3.14 million t -3.8%
2018 3.09 million t -1.5%
2019 3.11 million t +0.7%
2020 3.10 million t -0.5%
2021 3.12 million t +0.6%
2022 3.11 million t -0.3%
2023 3.11 million t +0.0%

China compared with similar countries

  • China's 3.11 million t is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 8,463 t, 367.1× the median. (51 countries reporting)
  • China's 3.11 million t is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,689 t, 1839.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 523,871 t 484,544 t 563,116 t 9
1970s 667,250 t 561,496 t 862,941 t 10
1980s 1.29 million t 879,245 t 1.75 million t 10
1990s 2.28 million t 1.58 million t 2.91 million t 10
2000s 3.27 million t 2.95 million t 3.67 million t 10
2010s 3.41 million t 3.09 million t 3.76 million t 10
2020s 3.11 million t 3.10 million t 3.12 million t 4

Countries ranked near China

  1. 1 India 3.47 million t compare
  2. 3 China, mainland 3.10 million t compare
  3. 4 USSR 2.13 million t compare
  4. 4 Viet Nam 146,706 t compare
  5. 5 Russian Federation 579,159 t compare
  6. 5 Türkiye 142,655 t compare

See the full ranking of 233 places →

More environment data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is atmospheric deposition — cropland nitrogen in China?
Atmospheric deposition — cropland nitrogen in China was 3.11 million t in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest atmospheric deposition — cropland nitrogen recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 3.76 million t in 2012.
What is the lowest atmospheric deposition — cropland nitrogen recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 484,544 t in 1961.
How does China rank for atmospheric deposition — cropland nitrogen?
China ranks 2nd out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
Is atmospheric deposition — cropland nitrogen rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Atmospheric deposition — Cropland nitrogen. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Atmospheric deposition — Cropland nitrogen in China. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/atmospheric-deposition-cropland-nitrogen/china/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/atmospheric-deposition-cropland-nitrogen/china/">Atmospheric deposition — Cropland nitrogen in China</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Atmospheric deposition — 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 (%).