Average nitrate concentration in freshwater in Italy

Italy: Average nitrate concentration in freshwater was 19.92 milligrams per litre in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
19.92 milligrams per litre
Change on year
down 47.9%
World rank
12th
of 34 countries
All-time high
38.24 milligrams per litre
in 2020
All-time low
15.56 milligrams per litre
in 2004
Years of data
22
2000–2021

Average nitrate concentration in freshwater in Italy, 2000–2021

0102030402000201020212000: 27.9 milligrams per litre2001: 28 milligrams per litre2002: 27.7 milligrams per litre2003: 18.6 milligrams per litre2004: 15.6 milligrams per litre2005: 17.1 milligrams per litre2006: 19.4 milligrams per litre2007: 19.5 milligrams per litre2008: 19.7 milligrams per litre2009: 18.8 milligrams per litre2010: 18.8 milligrams per litre2011: 21 milligrams per litre2012: 21.1 milligrams per litre2013: 22 milligrams per litre2014: 26.6 milligrams per litre2015: 27.3 milligrams per litre2016: 26.3 milligrams per litre2017: 20.8 milligrams per litre2018: 19.9 milligrams per litre2019: 20 milligrams per litre2020: 38.2 milligrams per litre2021: 19.9 milligrams per litre

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

Analysis

In 2021, average nitrate concentration in freshwater in Italy stood at 19.92 milligrams per litre.

That represents a change of down 47.9% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average nitrate concentration in freshwater in Italy peaked at 38.24 milligrams per litre in 2020 and was at its lowest, 15.56 milligrams per litre, in 2004.

That places Italy 12th out of 34 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 21.21 milligrams per litre 15.56 milligrams per litre 27.97 milligrams per litre 10
2010s 22.37 milligrams per litre 18.84 milligrams per litre 27.26 milligrams per litre 10
2020s 29.08 milligrams per litre 19.92 milligrams per litre 38.24 milligrams per litre 2

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 9 North Macedonia 20.53 milligrams per litre compare
  2. 10 Romania 20.07 milligrams per litre compare
  3. 11 Denmark 20.05 milligrams per litre compare
  4. 13 Netherlands 19.57 milligrams per litre compare
  5. 14 Czechia 18.66 milligrams per litre compare
  6. 15 Slovenia 18.2 milligrams per litre compare

See the full ranking of 34 places →

More environment data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is average nitrate concentration in freshwater in Italy?
Average nitrate concentration in freshwater in Italy was 19.92 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 Italy?
The highest recorded value was 38.24 milligrams per litre in 2020.
What is the lowest average nitrate concentration in freshwater recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 15.56 milligrams per litre in 2004.
How does Italy rank for average nitrate concentration in freshwater?
Italy ranks 12th out of 34 countries with data for 2021.
Is average nitrate concentration in freshwater rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Italy 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 — 22 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.