Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Iceland
Iceland: Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area was 87.05 kg/ha in 2023. ▼ Falling
Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Iceland, 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 Iceland stood at 87.05 kg/ha. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 17.5% on the previous year and down 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Iceland peaked at 159.21 kg/ha in 1978 and was at its lowest, 87.05 kg/ha, in 2023.
Iceland ranks 37th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Iceland, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 104.95 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 114.56 kg/ha | +9.2% |
| 1963 | 118.47 kg/ha | +3.4% |
| 1964 | 120.22 kg/ha | +1.5% |
| 1965 | 121.81 kg/ha | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 126.27 kg/ha | +3.7% |
| 1967 | 132.38 kg/ha | +4.8% |
| 1968 | 136.43 kg/ha | +3.1% |
| 1969 | 134.05 kg/ha | -1.7% |
| 1970 | 135.89 kg/ha | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 144.93 kg/ha | +6.6% |
| 1972 | 148.62 kg/ha | +2.6% |
| 1973 | 152.43 kg/ha | +2.6% |
| 1974 | 148.07 kg/ha | -2.9% |
| 1975 | 156.51 kg/ha | +5.7% |
| 1976 | 154.5 kg/ha | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 154.74 kg/ha | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 159.21 kg/ha | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 157.42 kg/ha | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 146.59 kg/ha | -6.9% |
| 1981 | 149.61 kg/ha | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 143.85 kg/ha | -3.9% |
| 1983 | 146.35 kg/ha | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 137.84 kg/ha | -5.8% |
| 1985 | 134 kg/ha | -2.8% |
| 1986 | 130.8 kg/ha | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 119.12 kg/ha | -8.9% |
| 1988 | 120.68 kg/ha | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 123.88 kg/ha | +2.7% |
| 1990 | 128.05 kg/ha | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 122.96 kg/ha | -4.0% |
| 1992 | 112.95 kg/ha | -8.1% |
| 1993 | 121.68 kg/ha | +7.7% |
| 1994 | 115.44 kg/ha | -5.1% |
| 1995 | 106.88 kg/ha | -7.4% |
| 1996 | 119.09 kg/ha | +11.4% |
| 1997 | 121.13 kg/ha | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 129.54 kg/ha | +6.9% |
| 1999 | 138.02 kg/ha | +6.5% |
| 2000 | 133.04 kg/ha | -3.6% |
| 2001 | 116.67 kg/ha | -12.3% |
| 2002 | 127.89 kg/ha | +9.6% |
| 2003 | 124.91 kg/ha | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 121.99 kg/ha | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 122.05 kg/ha | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 129.09 kg/ha | +5.8% |
| 2007 | 139.66 kg/ha | +8.2% |
| 2008 | 144.41 kg/ha | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 116.74 kg/ha | -19.2% |
| 2010 | 117.37 kg/ha | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 122.63 kg/ha | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 126.45 kg/ha | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 99.48 kg/ha | -21.3% |
| 2014 | 115.27 kg/ha | +15.9% |
| 2015 | 115.11 kg/ha | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 105.72 kg/ha | -8.2% |
| 2017 | 119.55 kg/ha | +13.1% |
| 2018 | 113.03 kg/ha | -5.4% |
| 2019 | 102.5 kg/ha | -9.3% |
| 2020 | 108.81 kg/ha | +6.2% |
| 2021 | 114.72 kg/ha | +5.4% |
| 2022 | 105.48 kg/ha | -8.1% |
| 2023 | 87.05 kg/ha | -17.5% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 87.05 kg/ha is above the median for high income countries, which is 61.42 kg/ha, 1.4× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 87.05 kg/ha is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 59.9 kg/ha, 1.5× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 123.24 kg/ha | 104.95 kg/ha | 136.43 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 151.23 kg/ha | 135.89 kg/ha | 159.21 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 135.27 kg/ha | 119.12 kg/ha | 149.61 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 121.57 kg/ha | 106.88 kg/ha | 138.02 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 127.64 kg/ha | 116.67 kg/ha | 144.41 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 113.71 kg/ha | 99.48 kg/ha | 126.45 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 104.02 kg/ha | 87.05 kg/ha | 114.72 kg/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More environment data for Iceland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.587 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.47 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8549 % 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 -1.93 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Iceland?
- Nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Iceland was 87.05 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 159.21 kg/ha in 1978.
- What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 87.05 kg/ha in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area?
- Iceland ranks 37th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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 (%).