Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Western Europe

Western Europe: Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area was 61.72 kg/ha in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
61.72 kg/ha
Change on year
up 2.4%
Rank
5th
of 29 groups
All-time high
151.85 kg/ha
in 1986
All-time low
60.3 kg/ha
in 2022
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Western Europe, 1961–2023

050100150196119922023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.

Analysis

Western Europe recorded 61.72 kg/ha for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and down 28.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Western Europe peaked at 151.85 kg/ha in 1986 and was at its lowest, 60.3 kg/ha, in 2022.

Western Europe ranks 5th of 29 groups 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 Western Europe, year by year

Annual values for Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Western Europe, 1961 to 2023.
Year kg/ha Change
1961 70.98 kg/ha —
1962 73.71 kg/ha +3.8%
1963 76.78 kg/ha +4.2%
1964 79.18 kg/ha +3.1%
1965 86.09 kg/ha +8.7%
1966 93.35 kg/ha +8.4%
1967 93.6 kg/ha +0.3%
1968 101.01 kg/ha +7.9%
1969 107.11 kg/ha +6.0%
1970 117.53 kg/ha +9.7%
1971 116.65 kg/ha -0.8%
1972 120.89 kg/ha +3.6%
1973 124.61 kg/ha +3.1%
1974 120.12 kg/ha -3.6%
1975 130.8 kg/ha +8.9%
1976 141.17 kg/ha +7.9%
1977 136.8 kg/ha -3.1%
1978 137.21 kg/ha +0.3%
1979 148.07 kg/ha +7.9%
1980 147.03 kg/ha -0.7%
1981 143.46 kg/ha -2.4%
1982 140.83 kg/ha -1.8%
1983 147.68 kg/ha +4.9%
1984 138.73 kg/ha -6.1%
1985 144.83 kg/ha +4.4%
1986 151.85 kg/ha +4.8%
1987 149.56 kg/ha -1.5%
1988 149.45 kg/ha -0.1%
1989 144.85 kg/ha -3.1%
1990 129.14 kg/ha -10.8%
1991 125.95 kg/ha -2.5%
1992 113.84 kg/ha -9.6%
1993 114.36 kg/ha +0.5%
1994 119.97 kg/ha +4.9%
1995 117.85 kg/ha -1.8%
1996 115.15 kg/ha -2.3%
1997 111.57 kg/ha -3.1%
1998 109.79 kg/ha -1.6%
1999 114.73 kg/ha +4.5%
2000 104.06 kg/ha -9.3%
2001 106.79 kg/ha +2.6%
2002 98.79 kg/ha -7.5%
2003 110.71 kg/ha +12.1%
2004 89.51 kg/ha -19.1%
2005 93.14 kg/ha +4.0%
2006 91.63 kg/ha -1.6%
2007 103.57 kg/ha +13.0%
2008 78.08 kg/ha -24.6%
2009 73 kg/ha -6.5%
2010 92.33 kg/ha +26.5%
2011 84.46 kg/ha -8.5%
2012 83.46 kg/ha -1.2%
2013 86.41 kg/ha +3.5%
2014 82.13 kg/ha -5.0%
2015 85.48 kg/ha +4.1%
2016 96.58 kg/ha +13.0%
2017 83.91 kg/ha -13.1%
2018 84.94 kg/ha +1.2%
2019 75.66 kg/ha -10.9%
2020 80.57 kg/ha +6.5%
2021 69.36 kg/ha -13.9%
2022 60.3 kg/ha -13.1%
2023 61.72 kg/ha +2.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 86.87 kg/ha 70.98 kg/ha 107.11 kg/ha 9
1970s 129.39 kg/ha 116.65 kg/ha 148.07 kg/ha 10
1980s 145.83 kg/ha 138.73 kg/ha 151.85 kg/ha 10
1990s 117.24 kg/ha 109.79 kg/ha 129.14 kg/ha 10
2000s 94.93 kg/ha 73 kg/ha 110.71 kg/ha 10
2010s 85.54 kg/ha 75.66 kg/ha 96.58 kg/ha 10
2020s 67.99 kg/ha 60.3 kg/ha 80.57 kg/ha 4

Countries ranked near Western Europe

  1. 2 Singapore 1,199 kg/ha compare
  2. 3 China, Hong Kong SAR 595.92 kg/ha compare
  3. 3 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 69.54 kg/ha compare
  4. 4 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 54.11 kg/ha compare
  5. 4 Kuwait 583.5 kg/ha compare
  6. 5 Brunei Darussalam 476.54 kg/ha compare
  7. 5 Türkiye 44.01 kg/ha compare
  8. 6 Lao People's Democratic Republic 38.13 kg/ha compare
  9. 6 Montenegro 366.65 kg/ha compare
  10. 7 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 26.58 kg/ha compare
  11. 7 Turkmenistan 316.59 kg/ha compare
  12. 8 Trinidad and Tobago 275.81 kg/ha compare

See the full ranking of 233 places →

More environment data for Western Europe

All data for Western Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Western Europe?
Nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Western Europe was 61.72 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 Western Europe?
The highest recorded value was 151.85 kg/ha in 1986.
What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in Western Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 60.3 kg/ha in 2022.
How does Western Europe rank for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area?
Western Europe ranks 5th out of 29 groups with data for 2023.
Is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area rising or falling in Western Europe?
Over the last ten years it is down 28.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Western Europe 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.

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Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Western Europe. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/nutrient-balance-cropland-nitrogen-per-unit-area/western-europe/

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About this data

Indicator
Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area
Unit
kg/ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
233 places, 13,500 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

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 (%).