Crop residue removal — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in India
India: Crop residue removal — Cropland nitrogen per unit area was 18.59 kg/ha in 2023. ▲ Rising
Crop residue removal — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in India, 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 India stood at 18.59 kg/ha. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 29.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, crop residue removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area in India peaked at 18.59 kg/ha in 2023 and was at its lowest, 4.32 kg/ha, in 1966.
India ranks 35th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Crop residue removal — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in India, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.69 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 4.57 kg/ha | -2.4% |
| 1963 | 4.71 kg/ha | +2.9% |
| 1964 | 4.74 kg/ha | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 4.32 kg/ha | -8.9% |
| 1966 | 4.32 kg/ha | -0.0% |
| 1967 | 4.78 kg/ha | +10.6% |
| 1968 | 4.96 kg/ha | +4.0% |
| 1969 | 5.13 kg/ha | +3.3% |
| 1970 | 5.47 kg/ha | +6.8% |
| 1971 | 5.54 kg/ha | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 5.26 kg/ha | -5.0% |
| 1973 | 5.67 kg/ha | +7.6% |
| 1974 | 5.23 kg/ha | -7.7% |
| 1975 | 6.06 kg/ha | +16.0% |
| 1976 | 5.84 kg/ha | -3.8% |
| 1977 | 6.3 kg/ha | +7.9% |
| 1978 | 6.48 kg/ha | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 5.95 kg/ha | -8.2% |
| 1980 | 6.29 kg/ha | +5.7% |
| 1981 | 6.76 kg/ha | +7.5% |
| 1982 | 6.45 kg/ha | -4.6% |
| 1983 | 7.35 kg/ha | +14.0% |
| 1984 | 7.48 kg/ha | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 7.57 kg/ha | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 7.47 kg/ha | -1.3% |
| 1987 | 7.47 kg/ha | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 8.51 kg/ha | +13.9% |
| 1989 | 9.09 kg/ha | +6.8% |
| 1990 | 9 kg/ha | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 9 kg/ha | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 9.62 kg/ha | +6.9% |
| 1993 | 9.65 kg/ha | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 10.02 kg/ha | +3.8% |
| 1995 | 9.98 kg/ha | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 10.29 kg/ha | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 10.45 kg/ha | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 10.43 kg/ha | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 10.77 kg/ha | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 10.74 kg/ha | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 11.2 kg/ha | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 9.95 kg/ha | -11.2% |
| 2003 | 11.18 kg/ha | +12.4% |
| 2004 | 10.89 kg/ha | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 11.37 kg/ha | +4.4% |
| 2006 | 11.55 kg/ha | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 12.31 kg/ha | +6.6% |
| 2008 | 12.19 kg/ha | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 12.09 kg/ha | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 12.86 kg/ha | +6.3% |
| 2011 | 13.47 kg/ha | +4.8% |
| 2012 | 13.99 kg/ha | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 14.39 kg/ha | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 14.3 kg/ha | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 13.87 kg/ha | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 14.67 kg/ha | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 15.23 kg/ha | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 15.92 kg/ha | +4.5% |
| 2019 | 16.94 kg/ha | +6.4% |
| 2020 | 17.01 kg/ha | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 17.52 kg/ha | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 17.96 kg/ha | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 18.59 kg/ha | +3.5% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 18.59 kg/ha is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.03 kg/ha, 2.1× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- India's 18.59 kg/ha is above the median for South Asia, which is 15.32 kg/ha, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.69 kg/ha | 4.32 kg/ha | 5.13 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 5.78 kg/ha | 5.23 kg/ha | 6.48 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.45 kg/ha | 6.29 kg/ha | 9.09 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.92 kg/ha | 9 kg/ha | 10.77 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.35 kg/ha | 9.95 kg/ha | 12.31 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.56 kg/ha | 12.86 kg/ha | 16.94 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.77 kg/ha | 17.01 kg/ha | 18.59 kg/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
- 32 Mexico 19.17 kg/ha compare
- 33 South Africa 19.06 kg/ha compare
- 34 Ethiopia 18.65 kg/ha compare
- 36 Turkmenistan 18.06 kg/ha compare
- 37 Kyrgyzstan 16.49 kg/ha compare
- 38 Cambodia 16.45 kg/ha compare
More environment data for India
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 11.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 12.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.954 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 17.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.92 % 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 1.12 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is crop residue removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area in India?
- Crop residue removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area in India was 18.59 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 18.59 kg/ha in 2023.
- What is the lowest crop residue removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.32 kg/ha in 1966.
- How does India rank for crop residue removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area?
- India ranks 35th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is crop residue removal — cropland nitrogen per unit area rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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.
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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 (%).