Biological fixation — Cropland nitrogen in South America
South America: Biological fixation — Cropland nitrogen was 15.47 million t in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Biological fixation — Cropland nitrogen in South America, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in t.
Analysis
South America recorded 15.47 million t for biological fixation — cropland nitrogen in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 6.3% on the previous year and up 30.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, biological fixation — cropland nitrogen in South America peaked at 15.47 million t in 2023 and was at its lowest, 391,186 t, in 1961.
That places South America 3rd out of 29 groups 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.
Biological fixation — Cropland nitrogen in South America, year by year
| Year | t | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 391,186 t | — |
| 1962 | 427,429 t | +9.3% |
| 1963 | 442,430 t | +3.5% |
| 1964 | 464,718 t | +5.0% |
| 1965 | 540,898 t | +16.4% |
| 1966 | 536,874 t | -0.7% |
| 1967 | 575,470 t | +7.2% |
| 1968 | 567,611 t | -1.4% |
| 1969 | 599,816 t | +5.7% |
| 1970 | 684,547 t | +14.1% |
| 1971 | 788,135 t | +15.1% |
| 1972 | 893,666 t | +13.4% |
| 1973 | 1.11 million t | +23.7% |
| 1974 | 1.42 million t | +28.9% |
| 1975 | 1.63 million t | +14.2% |
| 1976 | 1.79 million t | +9.8% |
| 1977 | 1.99 million t | +11.2% |
| 1978 | 1.94 million t | -2.5% |
| 1979 | 2.14 million t | +10.2% |
| 1980 | 2.50 million t | +17.0% |
| 1981 | 2.48 million t | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 2.40 million t | -3.4% |
| 1983 | 2.40 million t | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 2.82 million t | +17.4% |
| 1985 | 3.06 million t | +8.6% |
| 1986 | 2.71 million t | -11.5% |
| 1987 | 2.97 million t | +9.5% |
| 1988 | 3.38 million t | +13.8% |
| 1989 | 3.66 million t | +8.2% |
| 1990 | 3.59 million t | -1.7% |
| 1991 | 3.12 million t | -13.2% |
| 1992 | 3.39 million t | +8.7% |
| 1993 | 3.67 million t | +8.2% |
| 1994 | 4.04 million t | +10.2% |
| 1995 | 4.14 million t | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 3.86 million t | -6.6% |
| 1997 | 4.15 million t | +7.4% |
| 1998 | 4.94 million t | +19.0% |
| 1999 | 5.10 million t | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 5.30 million t | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 5.96 million t | +12.4% |
| 2002 | 6.64 million t | +11.5% |
| 2003 | 7.65 million t | +15.2% |
| 2004 | 7.95 million t | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 8.46 million t | +6.5% |
| 2006 | 8.63 million t | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 9.16 million t | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 9.36 million t | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 8.73 million t | -6.7% |
| 2010 | 10.54 million t | +20.7% |
| 2011 | 10.88 million t | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 10.07 million t | -7.4% |
| 2013 | 11.86 million t | +17.7% |
| 2014 | 12.63 million t | +6.5% |
| 2015 | 13.55 million t | +7.2% |
| 2016 | 13.46 million t | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 14.05 million t | +4.4% |
| 2018 | 13.55 million t | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 14.17 million t | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 14.50 million t | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 15.13 million t | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 14.56 million t | -3.8% |
| 2023 | 15.47 million t | +6.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 505,159 t | 391,186 t | 599,816 t | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.44 million t | 684,547 t | 2.14 million t | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.84 million t | 2.40 million t | 3.66 million t | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.00 million t | 3.12 million t | 5.10 million t | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.78 million t | 5.30 million t | 9.36 million t | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.47 million t | 10.07 million t | 14.17 million t | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.92 million t | 14.50 million t | 15.47 million t | 4 |
Countries ranked near South America
- 1 Brazil 12.10 million t compare
- 2 India 5.80 million t compare
- 3 China 3.60 million t compare
- 4 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 301,355 t compare
- 4 China, mainland 3.59 million t compare
- 5 Argentina 2.19 million t compare
- 5 Viet Nam 228,001 t compare
- 6 Canada 749,936 t compare
- 6 United Republic of Tanzania 208,282 t compare
More environment data for South America
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.218 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.23 °C (2025)
- Roundwood — Production 477.72 million m3 (2024)
- Roundwood, non-coniferous — Production 379.32 million m3 (2024)
- Roundwood, coniferous — Production 98.40 million m3 (2024)
- Roundwood — Export value 589,290 1000 USD (2024)
- Roundwood — Export quantity 4.28 million m3 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is biological fixation — cropland nitrogen in South America?
- Biological fixation — cropland nitrogen in South America was 15.47 million t in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest biological fixation — cropland nitrogen recorded in South America?
- The highest recorded value was 15.47 million t in 2023.
- What is the lowest biological fixation — cropland nitrogen recorded in South America?
- The lowest recorded value was 391,186 t in 1961.
- How does South America rank for biological fixation — cropland nitrogen?
- South America ranks 3rd out of 29 groups with data for 2023.
- Is biological fixation — cropland nitrogen rising or falling in South America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South America 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).
About this data
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 (%).