Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Australia
Australia: Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area was 15.32 kg/ha in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Australia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
Australia recorded 15.32 kg/ha for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 28.9% on the previous year and up 29.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Australia peaked at 34.12 kg/ha in 2020 and was at its lowest, -13.19 kg/ha, in 1978.
That places Australia 130th out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Australia, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | -4.75 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | -6.97 kg/ha | +46.9% |
| 1963 | -6.15 kg/ha | -11.8% |
| 1964 | -8.2 kg/ha | +33.4% |
| 1965 | -3.04 kg/ha | -63.0% |
| 1966 | -10.1 kg/ha | +232.3% |
| 1967 | -0.3043 kg/ha | -97.0% |
| 1968 | -8.49 kg/ha | +2691.5% |
| 1969 | -4.63 kg/ha | -45.5% |
| 1970 | -3.3 kg/ha | -28.7% |
| 1971 | -5.35 kg/ha | +62.1% |
| 1972 | 2.3 kg/ha | -143.0% |
| 1973 | -5.23 kg/ha | -327.3% |
| 1974 | -4.05 kg/ha | -22.5% |
| 1975 | -7.48 kg/ha | +84.6% |
| 1976 | -3.82 kg/ha | -49.0% |
| 1977 | -1.8 kg/ha | -52.8% |
| 1978 | -13.19 kg/ha | +631.9% |
| 1979 | -8.37 kg/ha | -36.5% |
| 1980 | -0.7923 kg/ha | -90.5% |
| 1981 | -9.08 kg/ha | +1046.3% |
| 1982 | 2.06 kg/ha | -122.7% |
| 1983 | -12.96 kg/ha | -729.2% |
| 1984 | -6.9 kg/ha | -46.8% |
| 1985 | -4.74 kg/ha | -31.3% |
| 1986 | -2.99 kg/ha | -37.0% |
| 1987 | 2.94 kg/ha | -198.3% |
| 1988 | 1.15 kg/ha | -60.8% |
| 1989 | 2.22 kg/ha | +93.2% |
| 1990 | 2.07 kg/ha | -6.8% |
| 1991 | 3.93 kg/ha | +89.6% |
| 1992 | 9.46 kg/ha | +140.9% |
| 1993 | 8.27 kg/ha | -12.5% |
| 1994 | 4.47 kg/ha | -46.0% |
| 1995 | 23.79 kg/ha | +432.5% |
| 1996 | 14.87 kg/ha | -37.5% |
| 1997 | 5 kg/ha | -66.4% |
| 1998 | 15.11 kg/ha | +202.1% |
| 1999 | 14.86 kg/ha | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 5.95 kg/ha | -59.9% |
| 2001 | 12.18 kg/ha | +104.6% |
| 2002 | 5.44 kg/ha | -55.3% |
| 2003 | 24.5 kg/ha | +350.4% |
| 2004 | 6.19 kg/ha | -74.7% |
| 2005 | 7.4 kg/ha | +19.6% |
| 2006 | -0.3955 kg/ha | -105.3% |
| 2007 | 21.41 kg/ha | -5512.9% |
| 2008 | 13.56 kg/ha | -36.6% |
| 2009 | 6.27 kg/ha | -53.8% |
| 2010 | 11.44 kg/ha | +82.6% |
| 2011 | 7.07 kg/ha | -38.2% |
| 2012 | 2.53 kg/ha | -64.2% |
| 2013 | 11.85 kg/ha | +368.3% |
| 2014 | 14.18 kg/ha | +19.7% |
| 2015 | 14.34 kg/ha | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 22.3 kg/ha | +55.5% |
| 2017 | 11.41 kg/ha | -48.8% |
| 2018 | 17.19 kg/ha | +50.6% |
| 2019 | 20.77 kg/ha | +20.8% |
| 2020 | 34.12 kg/ha | +64.3% |
| 2021 | 24.38 kg/ha | -28.5% |
| 2022 | 11.89 kg/ha | -51.3% |
| 2023 | 15.32 kg/ha | +28.9% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 15.32 kg/ha is below the median for high income countries, which is 61.42 kg/ha, 25% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Australia's 15.32 kg/ha is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 20.31 kg/ha, 75% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +5512.9% | -0.3955 kg/ha | 21.41 kg/ha |
| 1968 | -2691.5% | -0.3043 kg/ha | -8.49 kg/ha |
| 1981 | -1046.3% | -0.7923 kg/ha | -9.08 kg/ha |
| 1983 | -729.2% | 2.06 kg/ha | -12.96 kg/ha |
| 1978 | -631.9% | -1.8 kg/ha | -13.19 kg/ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -5.85 kg/ha | -10.1 kg/ha | -0.3043 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | -5.03 kg/ha | -13.19 kg/ha | 2.3 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | -2.91 kg/ha | -12.96 kg/ha | 2.94 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.18 kg/ha | 2.07 kg/ha | 23.79 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.25 kg/ha | -0.3955 kg/ha | 24.5 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.31 kg/ha | 2.53 kg/ha | 22.3 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.43 kg/ha | 11.89 kg/ha | 34.12 kg/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
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 nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Australia?
- Nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Australia was 15.32 kg/ha in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 34.12 kg/ha in 2020.
- What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was -13.19 kg/ha in 1978.
- How does Australia rank for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area?
- Australia ranks 130th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.3%. 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 Nutrient balance — 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 (%).