Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in India
India: Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area was 102.37 kg/ha in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in India, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
India recorded 102.37 kg/ha for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and up 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in India peaked at 106.04 kg/ha in 2020 and was at its lowest, 17.71 kg/ha, in 1962.
That places India 32nd 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 India, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 17.86 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 17.71 kg/ha | -0.8% |
| 1963 | 18.01 kg/ha | +1.7% |
| 1964 | 18.27 kg/ha | +1.5% |
| 1965 | 19.83 kg/ha | +8.5% |
| 1966 | 20.42 kg/ha | +3.0% |
| 1967 | 20.71 kg/ha | +1.4% |
| 1968 | 22.01 kg/ha | +6.3% |
| 1969 | 20.59 kg/ha | -6.4% |
| 1970 | 21.23 kg/ha | +3.1% |
| 1971 | 23.08 kg/ha | +8.7% |
| 1972 | 23.72 kg/ha | +2.8% |
| 1973 | 22.09 kg/ha | -6.9% |
| 1974 | 23.46 kg/ha | +6.2% |
| 1975 | 25.13 kg/ha | +7.1% |
| 1976 | 26.92 kg/ha | +7.1% |
| 1977 | 28.09 kg/ha | +4.4% |
| 1978 | 29.11 kg/ha | +3.6% |
| 1979 | 32.57 kg/ha | +11.9% |
| 1980 | 32.67 kg/ha | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 34.11 kg/ha | +4.4% |
| 1982 | 34.81 kg/ha | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 36.92 kg/ha | +6.1% |
| 1984 | 41.18 kg/ha | +11.5% |
| 1985 | 43.65 kg/ha | +6.0% |
| 1986 | 49.18 kg/ha | +12.7% |
| 1987 | 44.2 kg/ha | -10.1% |
| 1988 | 50.68 kg/ha | +14.7% |
| 1989 | 49.5 kg/ha | -2.3% |
| 1990 | 51.79 kg/ha | +4.6% |
| 1991 | 54.79 kg/ha | +5.8% |
| 1992 | 54.69 kg/ha | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 57.45 kg/ha | +5.1% |
| 1994 | 61.11 kg/ha | +6.4% |
| 1995 | 62.59 kg/ha | +2.4% |
| 1996 | 64.82 kg/ha | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 68.68 kg/ha | +5.9% |
| 1998 | 70.92 kg/ha | +3.3% |
| 1999 | 69.72 kg/ha | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 65.21 kg/ha | -6.5% |
| 2001 | 66.23 kg/ha | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 65.44 kg/ha | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 66.08 kg/ha | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 71.35 kg/ha | +8.0% |
| 2005 | 76.68 kg/ha | +7.5% |
| 2006 | 79.85 kg/ha | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 80.7 kg/ha | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 84.32 kg/ha | +4.5% |
| 2009 | 88.7 kg/ha | +5.2% |
| 2010 | 91 kg/ha | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 92.61 kg/ha | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 88.52 kg/ha | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 89.86 kg/ha | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 89.53 kg/ha | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 93.74 kg/ha | +4.7% |
| 2016 | 89.12 kg/ha | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 91.57 kg/ha | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 93.26 kg/ha | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 97.48 kg/ha | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 106.04 kg/ha | +8.8% |
| 2021 | 100.8 kg/ha | -4.9% |
| 2022 | 104.8 kg/ha | +4.0% |
| 2023 | 102.37 kg/ha | -2.3% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 102.37 kg/ha is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 18.65 kg/ha, 5.5× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- India's 102.37 kg/ha is above the median for South Asia, which is 40.96 kg/ha, 2.5× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 19.49 kg/ha | 17.71 kg/ha | 22.01 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 25.54 kg/ha | 21.23 kg/ha | 32.57 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 41.69 kg/ha | 32.67 kg/ha | 50.68 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 61.66 kg/ha | 51.79 kg/ha | 70.92 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 74.46 kg/ha | 65.21 kg/ha | 88.7 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 91.67 kg/ha | 88.52 kg/ha | 97.48 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 103.5 kg/ha | 100.8 kg/ha | 106.04 kg/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More environment data for India
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 11.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 12.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.954 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 17.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.92 % 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 1.12 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in India?
- Nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in India was 102.37 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 106.04 kg/ha in 2020.
- What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.71 kg/ha in 1962.
- How does India rank for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area?
- India ranks 32nd out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this India 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 (%).