Crop harvest removal — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in South Africa
South Africa: Crop harvest removal — Cropland nitrogen per unit area was 44.2 kg/ha in 2023. ▲ Rising
Crop harvest removal — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in South Africa, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
The most recent figure for crop harvest removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area in South Africa is 44.2 kg/ha, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 7.6% on the previous year and up 47.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, crop harvest removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area in South Africa peaked at 44.2 kg/ha in 2023 and was at its lowest, 11.43 kg/ha, in 1965.
South Africa ranks 88th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Crop harvest removal — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in South Africa, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 12.56 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 12.96 kg/ha | +3.2% |
| 1963 | 13.85 kg/ha | +6.9% |
| 1964 | 12.27 kg/ha | -11.4% |
| 1965 | 11.43 kg/ha | -6.9% |
| 1966 | 13.36 kg/ha | +16.9% |
| 1967 | 21.11 kg/ha | +57.9% |
| 1968 | 14.76 kg/ha | -30.1% |
| 1969 | 15.45 kg/ha | +4.7% |
| 1970 | 15.69 kg/ha | +1.6% |
| 1971 | 20.24 kg/ha | +29.0% |
| 1972 | 21.4 kg/ha | +5.7% |
| 1973 | 15.15 kg/ha | -29.2% |
| 1974 | 23.98 kg/ha | +58.3% |
| 1975 | 21.09 kg/ha | -12.1% |
| 1976 | 20.34 kg/ha | -3.6% |
| 1977 | 23.03 kg/ha | +13.2% |
| 1978 | 23.83 kg/ha | +3.5% |
| 1979 | 21.78 kg/ha | -8.6% |
| 1980 | 22.96 kg/ha | +5.4% |
| 1981 | 29.86 kg/ha | +30.1% |
| 1982 | 22.33 kg/ha | -25.2% |
| 1983 | 14.79 kg/ha | -33.8% |
| 1984 | 19.15 kg/ha | +29.5% |
| 1985 | 21.46 kg/ha | +12.1% |
| 1986 | 21.77 kg/ha | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 24.15 kg/ha | +10.9% |
| 1988 | 24.84 kg/ha | +2.9% |
| 1989 | 26.29 kg/ha | +5.8% |
| 1990 | 22.46 kg/ha | -14.6% |
| 1991 | 22.52 kg/ha | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 12.26 kg/ha | -45.5% |
| 1993 | 19.42 kg/ha | +58.4% |
| 1994 | 23.5 kg/ha | +21.0% |
| 1995 | 16.39 kg/ha | -30.2% |
| 1996 | 24.29 kg/ha | +48.2% |
| 1997 | 23.22 kg/ha | -4.4% |
| 1998 | 21.12 kg/ha | -9.1% |
| 1999 | 21.85 kg/ha | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 25.08 kg/ha | +14.8% |
| 2001 | 22.15 kg/ha | -11.7% |
| 2002 | 24.61 kg/ha | +11.1% |
| 2003 | 21.59 kg/ha | -12.3% |
| 2004 | 22.51 kg/ha | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 25.37 kg/ha | +12.7% |
| 2006 | 22.25 kg/ha | -12.3% |
| 2007 | 20.55 kg/ha | -7.6% |
| 2008 | 27.34 kg/ha | +33.1% |
| 2009 | 27.43 kg/ha | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 26.26 kg/ha | -4.2% |
| 2011 | 27.84 kg/ha | +6.0% |
| 2012 | 28.74 kg/ha | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 29.89 kg/ha | +4.0% |
| 2014 | 33.05 kg/ha | +10.5% |
| 2015 | 28.31 kg/ha | -14.3% |
| 2016 | 24.88 kg/ha | -12.1% |
| 2017 | 37.54 kg/ha | +50.9% |
| 2018 | 35.66 kg/ha | -5.0% |
| 2019 | 31.72 kg/ha | -11.0% |
| 2020 | 37.44 kg/ha | +18.0% |
| 2021 | 40.34 kg/ha | +7.8% |
| 2022 | 41.07 kg/ha | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 44.2 kg/ha | +7.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14.19 kg/ha | 11.43 kg/ha | 21.11 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 20.65 kg/ha | 15.15 kg/ha | 23.98 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 22.76 kg/ha | 14.79 kg/ha | 29.86 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.7 kg/ha | 12.26 kg/ha | 24.29 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.89 kg/ha | 20.55 kg/ha | 27.43 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.39 kg/ha | 24.88 kg/ha | 37.54 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.76 kg/ha | 37.44 kg/ha | 44.2 kg/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 85 Cook Islands 45.2 kg/ha compare
- 86 Israel 44.9 kg/ha compare
- 87 Solomon Islands 44.43 kg/ha compare
- 89 Papua New Guinea 44.07 kg/ha compare
- 90 Lebanon 43.78 kg/ha compare
- 91 Mexico 42.69 kg/ha compare
More environment data for South Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 9.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per capita 0.0074 t per person (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate -4.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard — Import value, per capita 0.0081 1000 USD per person (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified — Import -37.67 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is crop harvest removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area in South Africa?
- Crop harvest removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area in South Africa was 44.2 kg/ha in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest crop harvest removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 44.2 kg/ha in 2023.
- What is the lowest crop harvest removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.43 kg/ha in 1965.
- How does South Africa rank for crop harvest removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area?
- South Africa ranks 88th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is crop harvest removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 47.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Crop harvest removal — Cropland nitrogen per unit area. 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 (%).