Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Germany

Germany: Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency was 68.5 % in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
68.5 %
Change on year
down 6.6%
World rank
51st
of 186 countries
All-time high
73.32 %
in 2022
All-time low
24.63 %
in 1976
Years of data
63
1961–2023

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

203040506070196119922023

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

Analysis

Germany recorded 68.5 % for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency in 2023.

That represents a change of down 6.6% on the previous year and up 23.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Germany peaked at 73.32 % in 2022 and was at its lowest, 24.63 %, in 1976.

That places Germany 51st out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Germany, year by year

Annual values for Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Germany, 1961 to 2023.
Year % Change
1961 29.96 % —
1962 33.12 % +10.6%
1963 33.69 % +1.7%
1964 33.04 % -1.9%
1965 28.29 % -14.4%
1966 28.26 % -0.1%
1967 33.05 % +16.9%
1968 32.5 % -1.6%
1969 28.65 % -11.8%
1970 26.89 % -6.1%
1971 29.65 % +10.2%
1972 28.9 % -2.5%
1973 30.16 % +4.3%
1974 31.41 % +4.1%
1975 28.51 % -9.2%
1976 24.63 % -13.6%
1977 27.6 % +12.0%
1978 29.24 % +6.0%
1979 26.98 % -7.8%
1980 26.65 % -1.2%
1981 28.19 % +5.8%
1982 29.57 % +4.9%
1983 28.28 % -4.4%
1984 32.01 % +13.2%
1985 30.91 % -3.4%
1986 30.82 % -0.3%
1987 29.12 % -5.5%
1988 30.01 % +3.0%
1989 31.65 % +5.4%
1990 37.19 % +17.5%
1991 40.48 % +8.9%
1992 38.78 % -4.2%
1993 41.41 % +6.8%
1994 39.31 % -5.1%
1995 43.09 % +9.6%
1996 44.1 % +2.3%
1997 47.47 % +7.6%
1998 46.1 % -2.9%
1999 45.46 % -1.4%
2000 47.99 % +5.6%
2001 52.87 % +10.2%
2002 47.2 % -10.7%
2003 42.88 % -9.1%
2004 57.03 % +33.0%
2005 51.53 % -9.6%
2006 53.15 % +3.1%
2007 47.17 % -11.2%
2008 60.04 % +27.3%
2009 61.6 % +2.6%
2010 50.67 % -17.7%
2011 49.64 % -2.0%
2012 53.34 % +7.5%
2013 55.7 % +4.4%
2014 58.01 % +4.2%
2015 55.13 % -5.0%
2016 53.03 % -3.8%
2017 56.86 % +7.2%
2018 53 % -6.8%
2019 58.69 % +10.7%
2020 59.54 % +1.4%
2021 67.28 % +13.0%
2022 73.32 % +9.0%
2023 68.5 % -6.6%

Germany compared with similar countries

  • Germany's 68.5 % is above the median for high income countries, which is 40.97 %, 1.7× the median. (57 countries reporting)
  • Germany's 68.5 % is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 45.98 %, 1.5× the median. (44 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 31.17 % 28.26 % 33.69 % 9
1970s 28.4 % 24.63 % 31.41 % 10
1980s 29.72 % 26.65 % 32.01 % 10
1990s 42.34 % 37.19 % 47.47 % 10
2000s 52.15 % 42.88 % 61.6 % 10
2010s 54.41 % 49.64 % 58.69 % 10
2020s 67.16 % 59.54 % 73.32 % 4

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 48 Burundi 70.19 % compare
  2. 49 New Zealand 69.53 % compare
  3. 50 Slovakia 69.06 % compare
  4. 52 Argentina 67.77 % compare
  5. 53 Latvia 66.6 % compare
  6. 54 Lithuania 65.61 % compare

See the full ranking of 233 places →

More environment data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Germany?
Nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Germany was 68.5 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Germany?
The highest recorded value was 73.32 % in 2022.
What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 24.63 % in 1976.
How does Germany rank for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency?
Germany ranks 51st out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
Is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Germany 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 Germany. 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/germany/

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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 (%).