Leaching — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Europe
Europe: Leaching — Cropland nitrogen per unit area was 8.3 kg/ha in 2023. ▼ Falling
Leaching — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Europe, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
In 2023, leaching — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Europe stood at 8.3 kg/ha.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, leaching — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Europe peaked at 13.98 kg/ha in 1987 and was at its lowest, 6.4 kg/ha, in 1961.
That places Europe 12th out of 29 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Leaching — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Europe, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 6.4 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 6.69 kg/ha | +4.5% |
| 1963 | 6.93 kg/ha | +3.5% |
| 1964 | 7.02 kg/ha | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 7.44 kg/ha | +6.1% |
| 1966 | 7.94 kg/ha | +6.7% |
| 1967 | 8.4 kg/ha | +5.7% |
| 1968 | 8.76 kg/ha | +4.3% |
| 1969 | 8.92 kg/ha | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 9.33 kg/ha | +4.6% |
| 1971 | 9.91 kg/ha | +6.2% |
| 1972 | 10.27 kg/ha | +3.6% |
| 1973 | 10.73 kg/ha | +4.5% |
| 1974 | 11 kg/ha | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 11.52 kg/ha | +4.8% |
| 1976 | 11.5 kg/ha | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 11.74 kg/ha | +2.1% |
| 1978 | 12.21 kg/ha | +4.0% |
| 1979 | 12.45 kg/ha | +1.9% |
| 1980 | 12.62 kg/ha | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 12.69 kg/ha | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 13.03 kg/ha | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 13.42 kg/ha | +3.0% |
| 1984 | 13.59 kg/ha | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 13.83 kg/ha | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 13.97 kg/ha | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 13.98 kg/ha | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 13.97 kg/ha | -0.0% |
| 1989 | 13.55 kg/ha | -3.0% |
| 1990 | 12.73 kg/ha | -6.0% |
| 1991 | 11.86 kg/ha | -6.9% |
| 1992 | 10.49 kg/ha | -11.5% |
| 1993 | 10.02 kg/ha | -4.5% |
| 1994 | 9.58 kg/ha | -4.4% |
| 1995 | 9.3 kg/ha | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 9.33 kg/ha | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 8.98 kg/ha | -3.7% |
| 1998 | 8.81 kg/ha | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 8.78 kg/ha | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 8.54 kg/ha | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 8.59 kg/ha | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 8.57 kg/ha | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 8.68 kg/ha | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 8.55 kg/ha | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 8.36 kg/ha | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 8.4 kg/ha | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 8.79 kg/ha | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 8.54 kg/ha | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 8.3 kg/ha | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 8.57 kg/ha | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 8.57 kg/ha | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 8.6 kg/ha | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 8.77 kg/ha | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 8.81 kg/ha | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 8.93 kg/ha | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 9.04 kg/ha | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 9.19 kg/ha | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 8.8 kg/ha | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 8.78 kg/ha | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 9.23 kg/ha | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 8.86 kg/ha | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 8.36 kg/ha | -5.6% |
| 2023 | 8.3 kg/ha | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.61 kg/ha | 6.4 kg/ha | 8.92 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 11.07 kg/ha | 9.33 kg/ha | 12.45 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.47 kg/ha | 12.62 kg/ha | 13.98 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.99 kg/ha | 8.78 kg/ha | 12.73 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.53 kg/ha | 8.3 kg/ha | 8.79 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.81 kg/ha | 8.57 kg/ha | 9.19 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.69 kg/ha | 8.3 kg/ha | 9.23 kg/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near Europe
- 9 Belgium 43.21 kg/ha compare
- 9 Republic of Moldova 5.81 kg/ha compare
- 10 Turkmenistan 42 kg/ha compare
- 10 Melanesia 4.55 kg/ha compare
- 11 Trinidad and Tobago 41.66 kg/ha compare
- 11 Polynesia 4.41 kg/ha compare
- 12 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 4.02 kg/ha compare
- 12 Ireland 38.81 kg/ha compare
- 13 Uzbekistan 36.35 kg/ha compare
- 14 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 2.72 kg/ha compare
- 14 Qatar 35.72 kg/ha compare
- 15 Netherlands (Kingdom of the) 35.07 kg/ha compare
- 15 United Republic of Tanzania 2.34 kg/ha compare
More environment data for Europe
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.33 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.435 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.71 °C (2025)
- Total fibre furnish — Production 101.18 million t (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard — Production 73.33 million t (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Production 94.14 million t (2024)
- Recovered paper — Production 57.94 million t (2024)
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Use per area of cropland 49.53 kg/ha (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is leaching — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Europe?
- Leaching — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Europe was 8.3 kg/ha in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest leaching — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in Europe?
- The highest recorded value was 13.98 kg/ha in 1987.
- What is the lowest leaching — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in Europe?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.4 kg/ha in 1961.
- How does Europe rank for leaching — cropland nitrogen per unit area?
- Europe ranks 12th out of 29 groups with data for 2023.
- Is leaching — cropland nitrogen per unit area rising or falling in Europe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Leaching — Cropland nitrogen per unit area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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 (%).