Biological fixation — Cropland nitrogen in South Africa

South Africa: Biological fixation — Cropland nitrogen was 210,680 t in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
210,680 t
Change on year
up 21.8%
Rank
24th
of 32 groups
All-time high
210,680 t
in 2023
All-time low
26,796 t
in 1995
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Biological fixation — Cropland nitrogen in South Africa, 1961–2023

50.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k196119922023

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

Analysis

In 2023, biological fixation — cropland nitrogen in South Africa stood at 210,680 t. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 21.8% on the previous year and up 152.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, biological fixation — cropland nitrogen in South Africa peaked at 210,680 t in 2023 and was at its lowest, 26,796 t, in 1995.

That places South Africa 24th out of 32 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 40,359 t 34,242 t 50,068 t 9
1970s 39,508 t 27,412 t 54,511 t 10
1980s 36,037 t 28,925 t 47,335 t 10
1990s 33,669 t 26,796 t 41,656 t 10
2000s 41,948 t 29,328 t 56,232 t 10
2010s 93,607 t 62,569 t 136,866 t 10
2020s 163,657 t 117,408 t 210,680 t 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 21 Viet Nam 228,001 t compare
  2. 22 United Republic of Tanzania 208,282 t compare
  3. 23 Pakistan 174,957 t compare
  4. 24 Sudan (former) 153,007 t compare
  5. 25 Malawi 150,540 t compare
  6. 26 Guinea 148,465 t compare
  7. 27 Philippines 137,510 t compare

See the full ranking of 223 places →

More environment data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is biological fixation — cropland nitrogen in South Africa?
Biological fixation — cropland nitrogen in South Africa was 210,680 t in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest biological fixation — cropland nitrogen recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 210,680 t in 2023.
What is the lowest biological fixation — cropland nitrogen recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 26,796 t in 1995.
How does South Africa rank for biological fixation — cropland nitrogen?
South Africa ranks 24th out of 32 groups with data for 2023.
Is biological fixation — cropland nitrogen rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 152.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Biological fixation — 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

Biological fixation — Cropland nitrogen in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 15 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/biological-fixation-cropland-nitrogen/south-africa/

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/biological-fixation-cropland-nitrogen/south-africa/">Biological fixation — Cropland nitrogen in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Biological fixation — Cropland nitrogen
Unit
t
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
223 places, 12,870 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 (%).