Average nitrate concentration in freshwater in Germany

Germany: Average nitrate concentration in freshwater was 25.79 milligrams per litre in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
25.79 milligrams per litre
Change on year
down 3.8%
World rank
6th
of 34 countries
All-time high
27.08 milligrams per litre
in 2017
All-time low
20.49 milligrams per litre
in 1993
Years of data
30
1992–2021

Average nitrate concentration in freshwater in Germany, 1992–2021

01020301992200620211992: 21.5 milligrams per litre1993: 20.5 milligrams per litre1994: 21.2 milligrams per litre1995: 22.2 milligrams per litre1996: 21.6 milligrams per litre1997: 23.7 milligrams per litre1998: 23.7 milligrams per litre1999: 22.5 milligrams per litre2000: 23.1 milligrams per litre2001: 23 milligrams per litre2002: 23.9 milligrams per litre2003: 23.3 milligrams per litre2004: 23.1 milligrams per litre2005: 23.1 milligrams per litre2006: 23.2 milligrams per litre2007: 22.8 milligrams per litre2008: 25 milligrams per litre2009: 24.8 milligrams per litre2010: 24.8 milligrams per litre2011: 24.1 milligrams per litre2012: 23.8 milligrams per litre2013: 23.9 milligrams per litre2014: 21.7 milligrams per litre2015: 26.8 milligrams per litre2016: 26.4 milligrams per litre2017: 27.1 milligrams per litre2018: 26.5 milligrams per litre2019: 26.6 milligrams per litre2020: 26.8 milligrams per litre2021: 25.8 milligrams per litre

Source: European Environment Agency (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in milligrams per litre.

Analysis

Germany recorded 25.79 milligrams per litre for average nitrate concentration in freshwater in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.8% on the previous year and up 7.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average nitrate concentration in freshwater in Germany peaked at 27.08 milligrams per litre in 2017 and was at its lowest, 20.49 milligrams per litre, in 1993.

That places Germany 6th out of 34 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 22.13 milligrams per litre 20.49 milligrams per litre 23.73 milligrams per litre 8
2000s 23.53 milligrams per litre 22.8 milligrams per litre 25 milligrams per litre 10
2010s 25.15 milligrams per litre 21.67 milligrams per litre 27.08 milligrams per litre 10
2020s 26.3 milligrams per litre 25.79 milligrams per litre 26.81 milligrams per litre 2

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 4 Bulgaria 29.34 milligrams per litre compare
  2. 5 Belgium 27.71 milligrams per litre compare
  3. 7 Montenegro 22.87 milligrams per litre compare
  4. 8 France 21.39 milligrams per litre compare
  5. 9 North Macedonia 20.53 milligrams per litre compare

See the full ranking of 34 places →

More environment data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is average nitrate concentration in freshwater in Germany?
Average nitrate concentration in freshwater in Germany was 25.79 milligrams per litre in 2021, according to European Environment Agency (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest average nitrate concentration in freshwater recorded in Germany?
The highest recorded value was 27.08 milligrams per litre in 2017.
What is the lowest average nitrate concentration in freshwater recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 20.49 milligrams per litre in 1993.
How does Germany rank for average nitrate concentration in freshwater?
Germany ranks 6th out of 34 countries with data for 2021.
Is average nitrate concentration in freshwater rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Germany data come from?
The figures come from European Environment Agency (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average nitrate concentration in freshwater. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Average nitrate concentration in freshwater
Unit
milligrams per litre
Source
European Environment Agency (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
34 places, 655 data points, 1992–2021
Last refreshed

Average annual concentration of nitrate in groundwater.