Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Europe

Europe: Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency was 61.19 % in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
61.19 %
Change on year
down 0.5%
Rank
12th
of 29 groups
All-time high
61.49 %
in 2022
All-time low
25.87 %
in 1981
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Europe, 1961–2023

0204060196119922023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

Europe recorded 61.19 % for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 12.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Europe peaked at 61.49 % in 2022 and was at its lowest, 25.87 %, in 1981.

Europe ranks 12th of 29 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.

Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Europe, year by year

Annual values for Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Europe, 1961 to 2023.
Year % Change
1961 38.12 % —
1962 37.93 % -0.5%
1963 34.17 % -9.9%
1964 38.35 % +12.3%
1965 34.56 % -9.9%
1966 36.59 % +5.9%
1967 35.34 % -3.4%
1968 35.24 % -0.3%
1969 33.12 % -6.0%
1970 32.38 % -2.2%
1971 32.71 % +1.0%
1972 30.81 % -5.8%
1973 33.01 % +7.1%
1974 31.62 % -4.2%
1975 26.13 % -17.4%
1976 30.31 % +16.0%
1977 28.88 % -4.7%
1978 30.9 % +7.0%
1979 26.88 % -13.0%
1980 27.82 % +3.5%
1981 25.87 % -7.0%
1982 28.11 % +8.7%
1983 26.82 % -4.6%
1984 28.71 % +7.0%
1985 27.64 % -3.7%
1986 28.16 % +1.9%
1987 28.19 % +0.1%
1988 27.97 % -0.8%
1989 30.61 % +9.4%
1990 33.16 % +8.3%
1991 33.28 % +0.4%
1992 36.62 % +10.0%
1993 39.3 % +7.3%
1994 38.6 % -1.8%
1995 39.66 % +2.7%
1996 40.38 % +1.8%
1997 45.64 % +13.0%
1998 42.18 % -7.6%
1999 42.02 % -0.4%
2000 43.53 % +3.6%
2001 46.69 % +7.3%
2002 48.65 % +4.2%
2003 42.13 % -13.4%
2004 52.58 % +24.8%
2005 50.09 % -4.7%
2006 48.26 % -3.7%
2007 45.37 % -6.0%
2008 57.58 % +26.9%
2009 55.54 % -3.6%
2010 47.76 % -14.0%
2011 54.21 % +13.5%
2012 48.4 % -10.7%
2013 54.35 % +12.3%
2014 57.97 % +6.7%
2015 55.21 % -4.8%
2016 54.73 % -0.9%
2017 56.11 % +2.5%
2018 55.03 % -1.9%
2019 58.38 % +6.1%
2020 54.53 % -6.6%
2021 59.94 % +9.9%
2022 61.49 % +2.6%
2023 61.19 % -0.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 35.94 % 33.12 % 38.35 % 9
1970s 30.36 % 26.13 % 33.01 % 10
1980s 27.99 % 25.87 % 30.61 % 10
1990s 39.08 % 33.16 % 45.64 % 10
2000s 49.04 % 42.13 % 57.58 % 10
2010s 54.21 % 47.76 % 58.38 % 10
2020s 59.29 % 54.53 % 61.49 % 4

Countries ranked near Europe

  1. 9 Tonga 135.24 % compare
  2. 9 United Republic of Tanzania 72.27 % compare
  3. 10 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 69.2 % compare
  4. 10 Mauritius 128.25 % compare
  5. 11 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 66.86 % compare
  6. 11 Ghana 124.81 % compare
  7. 12 Lao People's Democratic Republic 66.07 % compare
  8. 12 Papua New Guinea 123.83 % compare
  9. 13 Dominican Republic 117.33 % compare
  10. 14 Kazakhstan 110.79 % compare
  11. 14 Türkiye 54.77 % compare
  12. 15 Mali 105.6 % compare

See the full ranking of 233 places →

More environment data for Europe

All data for Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Europe?
Nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Europe was 61.19 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Europe?
The highest recorded value was 61.49 % in 2022.
What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 25.87 % in 1981.
How does Europe rank for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency?
Europe ranks 12th out of 29 groups with data for 2023.
Is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency rising or falling in Europe?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Europe data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency in 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-use-efficiency/europe/

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About this data

Indicator
Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency
Unit
%
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 (%).