Crop residue removal — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in China
China: Crop residue removal — Cropland nitrogen per unit area was 25.21 kg/ha in 2023. ▲ Rising
Crop residue removal — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in China, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
In 2023, crop residue removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area in China stood at 25.21 kg/ha. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 30.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, crop residue removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area in China peaked at 25.21 kg/ha in 2023 and was at its lowest, 7.26 kg/ha, in 1961.
That places China 16th out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Crop residue removal — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in China, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 7.26 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 7.98 kg/ha | +10.0% |
| 1963 | 8.84 kg/ha | +10.7% |
| 1964 | 9.56 kg/ha | +8.2% |
| 1965 | 10.27 kg/ha | +7.4% |
| 1966 | 11.08 kg/ha | +7.8% |
| 1967 | 11.36 kg/ha | +2.6% |
| 1968 | 11.39 kg/ha | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 11.19 kg/ha | -1.7% |
| 1970 | 12.53 kg/ha | +12.0% |
| 1971 | 12.6 kg/ha | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 11.78 kg/ha | -6.5% |
| 1973 | 12.92 kg/ha | +9.6% |
| 1974 | 13.07 kg/ha | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 13.22 kg/ha | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 13.07 kg/ha | -1.2% |
| 1977 | 12.89 kg/ha | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 14.01 kg/ha | +8.7% |
| 1979 | 14.74 kg/ha | +5.2% |
| 1980 | 14.54 kg/ha | -1.3% |
| 1981 | 15 kg/ha | +3.1% |
| 1982 | 16.26 kg/ha | +8.4% |
| 1983 | 17.44 kg/ha | +7.2% |
| 1984 | 18.47 kg/ha | +5.9% |
| 1985 | 17.11 kg/ha | -7.3% |
| 1986 | 16.88 kg/ha | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 17.03 kg/ha | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 16.36 kg/ha | -4.0% |
| 1989 | 16.22 kg/ha | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 17.52 kg/ha | +8.0% |
| 1991 | 17.13 kg/ha | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 17.01 kg/ha | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 17.49 kg/ha | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 17.18 kg/ha | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 17.51 kg/ha | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 17.94 kg/ha | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 17.55 kg/ha | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 17.81 kg/ha | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 17.47 kg/ha | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 16.88 kg/ha | -3.4% |
| 2001 | 16.85 kg/ha | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 17.1 kg/ha | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 16.5 kg/ha | -3.5% |
| 2004 | 17.51 kg/ha | +6.2% |
| 2005 | 17.32 kg/ha | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 17.53 kg/ha | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 17.37 kg/ha | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 17.89 kg/ha | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 17.32 kg/ha | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 17.27 kg/ha | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 18.12 kg/ha | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 18.88 kg/ha | +4.2% |
| 2013 | 19.31 kg/ha | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 19.68 kg/ha | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 20.41 kg/ha | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 20.91 kg/ha | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 21.52 kg/ha | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 22.17 kg/ha | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 23.17 kg/ha | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 23.44 kg/ha | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 24.03 kg/ha | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 24.58 kg/ha | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 25.21 kg/ha | +2.6% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 25.21 kg/ha is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 8.53 kg/ha, 3.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- China's 25.21 kg/ha is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.54 kg/ha, 5.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.88 kg/ha | 7.26 kg/ha | 11.39 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 13.08 kg/ha | 11.78 kg/ha | 14.74 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.53 kg/ha | 14.54 kg/ha | 18.47 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.46 kg/ha | 17.01 kg/ha | 17.94 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.23 kg/ha | 16.5 kg/ha | 17.89 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.14 kg/ha | 17.27 kg/ha | 23.17 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.32 kg/ha | 23.44 kg/ha | 25.21 kg/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
- 13 Tajikistan 27.76 kg/ha compare
- 13 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 5.36 kg/ha compare
- 14 Denmark 27.38 kg/ha compare
- 14 Melanesia 4.15 kg/ha compare
- 15 China, mainland 25.3 kg/ha compare
- 16 Democratic Republic of the Congo 2.3 kg/ha compare
- 17 Germany 25.17 kg/ha compare
- 17 Polynesia 1.51 kg/ha compare
- 18 Micronesia (Federated States of) 0.6968 kg/ha compare
- 18 Netherlands (Kingdom of the) 24.31 kg/ha compare
- 19 Russian Federation 24.06 kg/ha compare
More environment data for China
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.279 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 5.29 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8065 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.2517 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is crop residue removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area in China?
- Crop residue removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area in China was 25.21 kg/ha in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest crop residue removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 25.21 kg/ha in 2023.
- What is the lowest crop residue removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.26 kg/ha in 1961.
- How does China rank for crop residue removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area?
- China ranks 16th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is crop residue removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Crop residue 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 (%).