Nitrate in groundwater by country
Countries reporting
31
Highest
31.74 Milligrams per litre
Spain
Lowest
1.82 Milligrams per litre
Latvia
Median
15.48 Milligrams per litre
Years covered
17
2007–2023
Data points
544
What the numbers show
Nitrate in groundwater is currently reported for 31 countries. The highest value is 31.74 Milligrams per litre in Spain; the lowest is 1.82 Milligrams per litre in Latvia.
The median across all reporting countries is 15.48 Milligrams per litre, and the mean is 14 Milligrams per litre.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 17.
Over the past decade 13 countries rose and 18 fell. The largest increase was in Serbia (up 67.3%), and the largest decrease in Latvia (down 59.7%).
Nitrate in groundwater: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 31.74 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 9.9% | falling |
| 2 | Belgium | 29.96 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 3.5% | falling |
| 3 | Bulgaria | 29.18 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 15.4% | rising |
| 4 | Denmark | 23.89 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 6.5% | rising |
| 5 | Germany | 22.19 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 6.6% | falling |
| 6 | Austria | 20.91 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 16.7% | falling |
| 7 | Czechia | 19.6 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 6.0% | falling |
| 8 | Cyprus | 19.31 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 58.8% | falling |
| 9 | Italy | 18.8 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 14.8% | falling |
| 10 | France | 17.49 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 11 | Slovakia | 16.09 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 2.5% | flat |
| 11 | Slovakia | 16.09 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 2.5% | flat |
| 13 | Portugal | 15.7 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 1.0% | falling |
| 14 | Romania | 15.51 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 15.1% | rising |
| 15 | Slovenia | 15.48 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 7.7% | flat |
| 15 | Slovenia | 15.48 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 7.7% | flat |
| 17 | Switzerland | 14.42 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 5.5% | falling |
| 18 | Ireland | 12.69 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 7.7% | flat |
| 19 | Serbia | 9.12 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 67.3% | rising |
| 20 | Poland | 8.59 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 11.9% | rising |
| 20 | Poland | 8.59 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 11.9% | rising |
| 22 | Netherlands | 8.34 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 18.8% | rising |
| 22 | Netherlands | 8.34 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 18.8% | rising |
| 24 | Estonia | 7 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 6.9% | falling |
| 24 | Estonia | 7 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 6.9% | falling |
| 26 | Lithuania | 5.74 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 49.5% | rising |
| 26 | Lithuania | 5.74 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | up 49.5% | rising |
| 28 | Finland | 4.88 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 16.7% | falling |
| 29 | Sweden | 2.4 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 17.8% | falling |
| 30 | Latvia | 1.82 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 59.7% | falling |
| 30 | Latvia | 1.82 Milligrams per litre | 2023 | down 59.7% | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- European Union (aggregate changing according to the context) 18.14 Milligrams per litre