Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in China, mainland
China, mainland: Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area was 152.06 kg/ha in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in China, mainland, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
China, mainland recorded 152.06 kg/ha for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in 2023.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 26.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in China, mainland peaked at 207.57 kg/ha in 2012 and was at its lowest, 18.88 kg/ha, in 1961.
That places China, mainland 27th out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in China, mainland, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 18.88 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 20.37 kg/ha | +7.9% |
| 1963 | 19.99 kg/ha | -1.9% |
| 1964 | 22.47 kg/ha | +12.4% |
| 1965 | 25.76 kg/ha | +14.6% |
| 1966 | 31.84 kg/ha | +23.6% |
| 1967 | 25.42 kg/ha | -20.2% |
| 1968 | 28.01 kg/ha | +10.2% |
| 1969 | 33.02 kg/ha | +17.9% |
| 1970 | 36.79 kg/ha | +11.4% |
| 1971 | 37.21 kg/ha | +1.1% |
| 1972 | 44.89 kg/ha | +20.6% |
| 1973 | 46.97 kg/ha | +4.6% |
| 1974 | 39.5 kg/ha | -15.9% |
| 1975 | 51.12 kg/ha | +29.4% |
| 1976 | 49.33 kg/ha | -3.5% |
| 1977 | 74.09 kg/ha | +50.2% |
| 1978 | 90.73 kg/ha | +22.5% |
| 1979 | 102.74 kg/ha | +13.2% |
| 1980 | 120.39 kg/ha | +17.2% |
| 1981 | 111.27 kg/ha | -7.6% |
| 1982 | 107.44 kg/ha | -3.4% |
| 1983 | 109.97 kg/ha | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 111.46 kg/ha | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 100.91 kg/ha | -9.5% |
| 1986 | 98.96 kg/ha | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 123.91 kg/ha | +25.2% |
| 1988 | 138.25 kg/ha | +11.6% |
| 1989 | 139.54 kg/ha | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 136.38 kg/ha | -2.3% |
| 1991 | 139.49 kg/ha | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 144.63 kg/ha | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 129.43 kg/ha | -10.5% |
| 1994 | 141.13 kg/ha | +9.0% |
| 1995 | 176.37 kg/ha | +25.0% |
| 1996 | 187.08 kg/ha | +6.1% |
| 1997 | 167.63 kg/ha | -10.4% |
| 1998 | 167.97 kg/ha | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 179.37 kg/ha | +6.8% |
| 2000 | 168.11 kg/ha | -6.3% |
| 2001 | 168.72 kg/ha | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 187.32 kg/ha | +11.0% |
| 2003 | 190.85 kg/ha | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 191.98 kg/ha | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 194.19 kg/ha | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 194.44 kg/ha | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 196.64 kg/ha | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 196.61 kg/ha | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 202.14 kg/ha | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 205.62 kg/ha | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 205.14 kg/ha | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 207.57 kg/ha | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 206.99 kg/ha | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 206.87 kg/ha | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 200.88 kg/ha | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 199.86 kg/ha | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 192.35 kg/ha | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 181.62 kg/ha | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 165.84 kg/ha | -8.7% |
| 2020 | 162.67 kg/ha | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 157.19 kg/ha | -3.4% |
| 2022 | 152.38 kg/ha | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 152.06 kg/ha | -0.2% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in China, mainland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | +50.2% | 49.33 kg/ha | 74.09 kg/ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 25.09 kg/ha | 18.88 kg/ha | 33.02 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 57.34 kg/ha | 36.79 kg/ha | 102.74 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 116.21 kg/ha | 98.96 kg/ha | 139.54 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 156.95 kg/ha | 129.43 kg/ha | 187.08 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 189.1 kg/ha | 168.11 kg/ha | 202.14 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 197.27 kg/ha | 165.84 kg/ha | 207.57 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 156.07 kg/ha | 152.06 kg/ha | 162.67 kg/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near China, mainland
- 24 Netherlands (Kingdom of the) 157.66 kg/ha compare
- 25 Norway 157.13 kg/ha compare
- 26 Switzerland 152.71 kg/ha compare
- 27 Caribbean 5.26 kg/ha compare
- 28 United Arab Emirates 140.42 kg/ha compare
- 29 Côte d'Ivoire -1.87 kg/ha compare
- 29 Pakistan 129.97 kg/ha compare
- 30 Uruguay 111.23 kg/ha compare
More environment data for China, mainland
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.279 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Cropland — Share in Agricultural land 32.82 % (2024)
- Arable land — Share in Agricultural land 27.68 % (2024)
- Arable land — Area 108,466 1000 ha (2024)
- Cropland — Area per capita 0.09 ha/cap (2024)
- Cropland — Area 128,608 1000 ha (2024)
- Agricultural land — Share in Land area 41.74 % (2024)
- Cropland — Share in Land area 13.7 % (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in China, mainland?
- Nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in China, mainland was 152.06 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 China, mainland?
- The highest recorded value was 207.57 kg/ha in 2012.
- What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in China, mainland?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.88 kg/ha in 1961.
- How does China, mainland rank for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area?
- China, mainland ranks 27th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area rising or falling in China, mainland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China, mainland 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 (%).