Mineral fertilizers — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Australia
Australia: Mineral fertilizers — Cropland nitrogen per unit area was 58.72 kg/ha in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Mineral fertilizers — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Australia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
In 2023, mineral fertilizers — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Australia stood at 58.72 kg/ha. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.2% on the previous year and up 62.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mineral fertilizers — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Australia peaked at 58.72 kg/ha in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.17 kg/ha, in 1961.
Australia ranks 66th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Mineral fertilizers — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Australia, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.17 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 2.51 kg/ha | +16.0% |
| 1963 | 4.06 kg/ha | +61.6% |
| 1964 | 3.5 kg/ha | -13.9% |
| 1965 | 3.6 kg/ha | +2.9% |
| 1966 | 4.05 kg/ha | +12.6% |
| 1967 | 6.01 kg/ha | +48.4% |
| 1968 | 5.85 kg/ha | -2.7% |
| 1969 | 5.69 kg/ha | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 5.94 kg/ha | +4.4% |
| 1971 | 6.56 kg/ha | +10.3% |
| 1972 | 8.7 kg/ha | +32.7% |
| 1973 | 10.38 kg/ha | +19.3% |
| 1974 | 10.69 kg/ha | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 10.93 kg/ha | +2.3% |
| 1976 | 12.77 kg/ha | +16.8% |
| 1977 | 10.61 kg/ha | -16.9% |
| 1978 | 11.52 kg/ha | +8.5% |
| 1979 | 12.64 kg/ha | +9.8% |
| 1980 | 12.43 kg/ha | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 12.23 kg/ha | -1.6% |
| 1982 | 11.84 kg/ha | -3.2% |
| 1983 | 14.13 kg/ha | +19.4% |
| 1984 | 14.13 kg/ha | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 14.48 kg/ha | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 14.35 kg/ha | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 16.53 kg/ha | +15.2% |
| 1988 | 19.25 kg/ha | +16.4% |
| 1989 | 22.38 kg/ha | +16.3% |
| 1990 | 23.08 kg/ha | +3.1% |
| 1991 | 23.94 kg/ha | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 26.78 kg/ha | +11.9% |
| 1993 | 29.42 kg/ha | +9.8% |
| 1994 | 29.09 kg/ha | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 35.46 kg/ha | +21.9% |
| 1996 | 38.24 kg/ha | +7.8% |
| 1997 | 35.75 kg/ha | -6.5% |
| 1998 | 40.8 kg/ha | +14.1% |
| 1999 | 41.86 kg/ha | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 36.01 kg/ha | -14.0% |
| 2001 | 37.95 kg/ha | +5.4% |
| 2002 | 36.52 kg/ha | -3.8% |
| 2003 | 35.61 kg/ha | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 36.45 kg/ha | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 32.05 kg/ha | -12.1% |
| 2006 | 31.44 kg/ha | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 32.45 kg/ha | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 30.83 kg/ha | -5.0% |
| 2009 | 27.79 kg/ha | -9.9% |
| 2010 | 34.03 kg/ha | +22.5% |
| 2011 | 30.83 kg/ha | -9.4% |
| 2012 | 31.28 kg/ha | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 36.11 kg/ha | +15.5% |
| 2014 | 39.17 kg/ha | +8.5% |
| 2015 | 37.97 kg/ha | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 44.07 kg/ha | +16.1% |
| 2017 | 43.18 kg/ha | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 39.71 kg/ha | -8.0% |
| 2019 | 38.75 kg/ha | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 48.94 kg/ha | +26.3% |
| 2021 | 56.58 kg/ha | +15.6% |
| 2022 | 51.41 kg/ha | -9.1% |
| 2023 | 58.72 kg/ha | +14.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 58.72 kg/ha is below the median for high income countries, which is 66.69 kg/ha, 88% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Australia's 58.72 kg/ha is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 33.61 kg/ha, 1.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.16 kg/ha | 2.17 kg/ha | 6.01 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 10.07 kg/ha | 5.94 kg/ha | 12.77 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.18 kg/ha | 11.84 kg/ha | 22.38 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 32.44 kg/ha | 23.08 kg/ha | 41.86 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 33.71 kg/ha | 27.79 kg/ha | 37.95 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.51 kg/ha | 30.83 kg/ha | 44.07 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.91 kg/ha | 48.94 kg/ha | 58.72 kg/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 63 Philippines 60.5 kg/ha compare
- 64 Cyprus 59.89 kg/ha compare
- 65 Italy 59.44 kg/ha compare
- 67 Australia and New Zealand 58.58 kg/ha compare
- 68 Mexico 58.43 kg/ha compare
- 69 New Caledonia 57.94 kg/ha compare
More environment data for Australia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.345 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -1.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.6708 % 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 0.0861 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mineral fertilizers — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Australia?
- Mineral fertilizers — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Australia was 58.72 kg/ha in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest mineral fertilizers — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 58.72 kg/ha in 2023.
- What is the lowest mineral fertilizers — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.17 kg/ha in 1961.
- How does Australia rank for mineral fertilizers — cropland nitrogen per unit area?
- Australia ranks 66th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is mineral fertilizers — cropland nitrogen per unit area rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 62.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Mineral fertilizers — 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 (%).