Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Ghana
Ghana: Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area was -8.11 kg/ha in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Ghana, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
In 2023, nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Ghana stood at -8.11 kg/ha.
That represents a change of down 26.9% on the previous year and down 1,393.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Ghana peaked at 3.79 kg/ha in 1982 and was at its lowest, -9.6 kg/ha, in 2021.
That places Ghana 172nd out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom 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 Ghana, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | -4.17 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | -3.86 kg/ha | -7.3% |
| 1963 | -3.66 kg/ha | -5.1% |
| 1964 | -4.82 kg/ha | +31.7% |
| 1965 | -4.22 kg/ha | -12.6% |
| 1966 | -4.53 kg/ha | +7.4% |
| 1967 | -4.86 kg/ha | +7.3% |
| 1968 | -3.48 kg/ha | -28.3% |
| 1969 | -3.28 kg/ha | -5.7% |
| 1970 | -4.23 kg/ha | +28.7% |
| 1971 | -4.55 kg/ha | +7.6% |
| 1972 | -2.97 kg/ha | -34.7% |
| 1973 | -3.11 kg/ha | +4.8% |
| 1974 | -3.28 kg/ha | +5.5% |
| 1975 | 0.0119 kg/ha | -100.4% |
| 1976 | 1.65 kg/ha | +13795.8% |
| 1977 | 3 kg/ha | +81.3% |
| 1978 | 3.17 kg/ha | +5.8% |
| 1979 | 1.42 kg/ha | -55.2% |
| 1980 | 1.36 kg/ha | -4.1% |
| 1981 | 3.44 kg/ha | +152.6% |
| 1982 | 3.79 kg/ha | +10.2% |
| 1983 | 3.22 kg/ha | -14.9% |
| 1984 | 0.225 kg/ha | -93.0% |
| 1985 | 0.6741 kg/ha | +199.6% |
| 1986 | 1.49 kg/ha | +121.1% |
| 1987 | 0.9199 kg/ha | -38.3% |
| 1988 | 0.628 kg/ha | -31.7% |
| 1989 | 0.4725 kg/ha | -24.8% |
| 1990 | 2.65 kg/ha | +460.6% |
| 1991 | -3.11 kg/ha | -217.5% |
| 1992 | -2.33 kg/ha | -25.1% |
| 1993 | -3.98 kg/ha | +70.7% |
| 1994 | -3.13 kg/ha | -21.3% |
| 1995 | -4.53 kg/ha | +44.5% |
| 1996 | -4.04 kg/ha | -10.7% |
| 1997 | -2.16 kg/ha | -46.5% |
| 1998 | -2.12 kg/ha | -1.9% |
| 1999 | -3.62 kg/ha | +70.7% |
| 2000 | -3.49 kg/ha | -3.6% |
| 2001 | -1.14 kg/ha | -67.3% |
| 2002 | -3.25 kg/ha | +184.5% |
| 2003 | -2.65 kg/ha | -18.4% |
| 2004 | -4.71 kg/ha | +77.6% |
| 2005 | -2.84 kg/ha | -39.7% |
| 2006 | 0.9028 kg/ha | -131.8% |
| 2007 | -0.6 kg/ha | -166.5% |
| 2008 | -3.25 kg/ha | +441.2% |
| 2009 | -3.86 kg/ha | +19.0% |
| 2010 | -3.63 kg/ha | -6.1% |
| 2011 | -6.65 kg/ha | +83.4% |
| 2012 | -3.42 kg/ha | -48.6% |
| 2013 | -0.5433 kg/ha | -84.1% |
| 2014 | -4.89 kg/ha | +800.1% |
| 2015 | -2.03 kg/ha | -58.5% |
| 2016 | -2.29 kg/ha | +13.0% |
| 2017 | 1.77 kg/ha | -177.2% |
| 2018 | -3.3 kg/ha | -286.2% |
| 2019 | -2.27 kg/ha | -31.3% |
| 2020 | -2.64 kg/ha | +16.4% |
| 2021 | -9.6 kg/ha | +263.9% |
| 2022 | -6.39 kg/ha | -33.4% |
| 2023 | -8.11 kg/ha | +26.9% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's -8.11 kg/ha is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 18.65 kg/ha. (40 countries reporting)
- Ghana's -8.11 kg/ha is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.16 kg/ha. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Ghana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +13795.8% | 0.0119 kg/ha | 1.65 kg/ha |
| 2014 | -800.1% | -0.5433 kg/ha | -4.89 kg/ha |
| 1990 | +460.6% | 0.4725 kg/ha | 2.65 kg/ha |
| 2008 | -441.2% | -0.6 kg/ha | -3.25 kg/ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -4.1 kg/ha | -4.86 kg/ha | -3.28 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | -0.8889 kg/ha | -4.55 kg/ha | 3.17 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.62 kg/ha | 0.225 kg/ha | 3.79 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | -2.64 kg/ha | -4.53 kg/ha | 2.65 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | -2.49 kg/ha | -4.71 kg/ha | 0.9028 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | -2.72 kg/ha | -6.65 kg/ha | 1.77 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | -6.69 kg/ha | -9.6 kg/ha | -2.64 kg/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 169 USSR -4.6 kg/ha compare
- 170 Sudan (former) -5.16 kg/ha compare
- 171 Ethiopia PDR -7.53 kg/ha compare
- 173 Papua New Guinea -8.48 kg/ha compare
- 174 Tonga -11.02 kg/ha compare
- 175 Belgium-Luxembourg -11.13 kg/ha compare
More environment data for Ghana
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -13.57 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -11.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.26 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.34 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -27.43 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.72 % 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 0.8796 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Ghana?
- Nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Ghana was -8.11 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 3.79 kg/ha in 1982.
- What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was -9.6 kg/ha in 2021.
- How does Ghana rank for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area?
- Ghana ranks 172nd out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1,393.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana 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 (%).