Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Zambia
Zambia: Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area was 61.9 kg/ha in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Zambia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 61.9 kg/ha for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 33.3% on the previous year and up 66.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Zambia peaked at 61.9 kg/ha in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.77 kg/ha, in 1965.
That places Zambia 59th out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen per unit area in Zambia, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.9 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 4 kg/ha | +2.7% |
| 1963 | 4.22 kg/ha | +5.4% |
| 1964 | 3.98 kg/ha | -5.6% |
| 1965 | 3.77 kg/ha | -5.2% |
| 1966 | 4.47 kg/ha | +18.4% |
| 1967 | 4.9 kg/ha | +9.7% |
| 1968 | 7.13 kg/ha | +45.4% |
| 1969 | 6.03 kg/ha | -15.4% |
| 1970 | 10.52 kg/ha | +74.6% |
| 1971 | 13.02 kg/ha | +23.7% |
| 1972 | 9.19 kg/ha | -29.4% |
| 1973 | 10.48 kg/ha | +14.0% |
| 1974 | 13.53 kg/ha | +29.1% |
| 1975 | 11.6 kg/ha | -14.3% |
| 1976 | 14.81 kg/ha | +27.6% |
| 1977 | 15.19 kg/ha | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 12.33 kg/ha | -18.8% |
| 1979 | 17.61 kg/ha | +42.8% |
| 1980 | 23.34 kg/ha | +32.5% |
| 1981 | 25.03 kg/ha | +7.2% |
| 1982 | 24.17 kg/ha | -3.4% |
| 1983 | 17.76 kg/ha | -26.5% |
| 1984 | 14.54 kg/ha | -18.1% |
| 1985 | 19.89 kg/ha | +36.7% |
| 1986 | 19.79 kg/ha | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 25.54 kg/ha | +29.0% |
| 1988 | 17.33 kg/ha | -32.1% |
| 1989 | 16.24 kg/ha | -6.3% |
| 1990 | 15.02 kg/ha | -7.5% |
| 1991 | 16.71 kg/ha | +11.2% |
| 1992 | 25.71 kg/ha | +53.9% |
| 1993 | 20.27 kg/ha | -21.2% |
| 1994 | 15.94 kg/ha | -21.3% |
| 1995 | 16.23 kg/ha | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 10.22 kg/ha | -37.0% |
| 1997 | 14.75 kg/ha | +44.3% |
| 1998 | 10.09 kg/ha | -31.6% |
| 1999 | 5.66 kg/ha | -43.9% |
| 2000 | 5.32 kg/ha | -6.0% |
| 2001 | 7.39 kg/ha | +38.8% |
| 2002 | 13.74 kg/ha | +86.0% |
| 2003 | 10.27 kg/ha | -25.2% |
| 2004 | 12.01 kg/ha | +17.0% |
| 2005 | 12.13 kg/ha | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 10.92 kg/ha | -10.0% |
| 2007 | 12.44 kg/ha | +14.0% |
| 2008 | 14.98 kg/ha | +20.4% |
| 2009 | 13.63 kg/ha | -9.0% |
| 2010 | 23.07 kg/ha | +69.2% |
| 2011 | 28.95 kg/ha | +25.5% |
| 2012 | 22.49 kg/ha | -22.3% |
| 2013 | 37.09 kg/ha | +64.9% |
| 2014 | 33.77 kg/ha | -9.0% |
| 2015 | 38.02 kg/ha | +12.6% |
| 2016 | 41.62 kg/ha | +9.5% |
| 2017 | 42.41 kg/ha | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 37.2 kg/ha | -12.3% |
| 2019 | 47.23 kg/ha | +26.9% |
| 2020 | 45.36 kg/ha | -4.0% |
| 2021 | 47.22 kg/ha | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 46.42 kg/ha | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 61.9 kg/ha | +33.3% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 61.9 kg/ha is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 18.65 kg/ha, 3.3× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 61.9 kg/ha is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.16 kg/ha, 5.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.71 kg/ha | 3.77 kg/ha | 7.13 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 12.83 kg/ha | 9.19 kg/ha | 17.61 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.36 kg/ha | 14.54 kg/ha | 25.54 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.06 kg/ha | 5.66 kg/ha | 25.71 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.28 kg/ha | 5.32 kg/ha | 14.98 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.18 kg/ha | 22.49 kg/ha | 47.23 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.22 kg/ha | 45.36 kg/ha | 61.9 kg/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More environment data for Zambia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.03 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.11 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.74 % 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 3.49 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Zambia?
- Nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area in Zambia was 61.9 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 61.9 kg/ha in 2023.
- What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.77 kg/ha in 1965.
- How does Zambia rank for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area?
- Zambia ranks 59th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen per unit area rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 66.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia 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 (%).