Mineral fertilizers — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Southern Africa
Southern Africa: Mineral fertilizers — Cropland nitrogen per unit area was 40.93 kg/ha in 2023. ▲ Rising
Mineral fertilizers — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Southern Africa, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
The most recent figure for mineral fertilizers — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Southern Africa is 40.93 kg/ha, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 7.5% on the previous year and up 31.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mineral fertilizers — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Southern Africa peaked at 50.76 kg/ha in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.24 kg/ha, in 1961.
Southern Africa ranks 17th of 29 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Mineral fertilizers — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.24 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 4.83 kg/ha | +49.1% |
| 1963 | 5.75 kg/ha | +19.1% |
| 1964 | 6.31 kg/ha | +9.6% |
| 1965 | 6.72 kg/ha | +6.5% |
| 1966 | 6.67 kg/ha | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 8.85 kg/ha | +32.8% |
| 1968 | 9.55 kg/ha | +7.9% |
| 1969 | 9.96 kg/ha | +4.3% |
| 1970 | 11.84 kg/ha | +18.8% |
| 1971 | 13.63 kg/ha | +15.1% |
| 1972 | 15.66 kg/ha | +14.9% |
| 1973 | 15.2 kg/ha | -3.0% |
| 1974 | 15.87 kg/ha | +4.4% |
| 1975 | 18.81 kg/ha | +18.6% |
| 1976 | 20.5 kg/ha | +9.0% |
| 1977 | 22.36 kg/ha | +9.1% |
| 1978 | 24.62 kg/ha | +10.1% |
| 1979 | 25.97 kg/ha | +5.4% |
| 1980 | 30.28 kg/ha | +16.6% |
| 1981 | 34.15 kg/ha | +12.8% |
| 1982 | 30.82 kg/ha | -9.8% |
| 1983 | 24.18 kg/ha | -21.5% |
| 1984 | 26.32 kg/ha | +8.8% |
| 1985 | 24.42 kg/ha | -7.2% |
| 1986 | 23.71 kg/ha | -2.9% |
| 1987 | 21.02 kg/ha | -11.4% |
| 1988 | 24.18 kg/ha | +15.1% |
| 1989 | 23.71 kg/ha | -2.0% |
| 1990 | 23.7 kg/ha | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 22.44 kg/ha | -5.3% |
| 1992 | 22.43 kg/ha | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 24.7 kg/ha | +10.1% |
| 1994 | 22.1 kg/ha | -10.5% |
| 1995 | 22.78 kg/ha | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 23.7 kg/ha | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 23.7 kg/ha | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 24.12 kg/ha | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 24.15 kg/ha | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 24.16 kg/ha | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 23.34 kg/ha | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 28.53 kg/ha | +22.3% |
| 2003 | 25.33 kg/ha | -11.2% |
| 2004 | 26.27 kg/ha | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 21.61 kg/ha | -17.7% |
| 2006 | 27.89 kg/ha | +29.1% |
| 2007 | 28.65 kg/ha | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 26.96 kg/ha | -5.9% |
| 2009 | 26.71 kg/ha | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 26.36 kg/ha | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 28.23 kg/ha | +7.1% |
| 2012 | 29.64 kg/ha | +5.0% |
| 2013 | 31.06 kg/ha | +4.8% |
| 2014 | 35.13 kg/ha | +13.1% |
| 2015 | 28.29 kg/ha | -19.5% |
| 2016 | 30.76 kg/ha | +8.8% |
| 2017 | 40.88 kg/ha | +32.9% |
| 2018 | 40.06 kg/ha | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 37.94 kg/ha | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 40.26 kg/ha | +6.1% |
| 2021 | 50.76 kg/ha | +26.1% |
| 2022 | 44.26 kg/ha | -12.8% |
| 2023 | 40.93 kg/ha | -7.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.88 kg/ha | 3.24 kg/ha | 9.96 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 18.45 kg/ha | 11.84 kg/ha | 25.97 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.28 kg/ha | 21.02 kg/ha | 34.15 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.38 kg/ha | 22.1 kg/ha | 24.7 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.95 kg/ha | 21.61 kg/ha | 28.65 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.84 kg/ha | 26.36 kg/ha | 40.88 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.05 kg/ha | 40.26 kg/ha | 50.76 kg/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near Southern Africa
- 14 Republic of Korea 142.66 kg/ha compare
- 15 Costa Rica 142.16 kg/ha compare
- 16 United Arab Emirates 124.12 kg/ha compare
- 17 Guyana 122.86 kg/ha compare
- 18 Pakistan 122.34 kg/ha compare
- 19 Norway 116.52 kg/ha compare
- 20 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 114.56 kg/ha compare
More environment data for Southern Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 4.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 7.61 Percentage change (2025)
- Temperature change 0.892 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.282 °C (2025)
- Wood fuel — Production 18.57 million m3 (2024)
- Roundwood, coniferous — Production 8.40 million m3 (2024)
- Wood fuel, coniferous — Production 770,000 m3 (2024)
- Wood fuel, non-coniferous — Production 17.80 million m3 (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Production 17.26 million m3 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mineral fertilizers — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Southern Africa?
- Mineral fertilizers — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Southern Africa was 40.93 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 Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 50.76 kg/ha in 2021.
- What is the lowest mineral fertilizers — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.24 kg/ha in 1961.
- How does Southern Africa rank for mineral fertilizers — cropland nitrogen per unit area?
- Southern Africa ranks 17th out of 29 groups with data for 2023.
- Is mineral fertilizers — cropland nitrogen per unit area rising or falling in Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Southern Africa 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.
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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 (%).