Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand: Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area was -1.7 kg/ha in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
-1.7 kg/ha
Change on year
down 586.3%
World rank
157th
of 186 countries
All-time high
20.31 kg/ha
in 1973
All-time low
-1.7 kg/ha
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in Australia and New Zealand, 1961–2023

05101520196119922023

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in Australia and New Zealand is -1.7 kg/ha, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 586.3% on the previous year and down 172.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in Australia and New Zealand peaked at 20.31 kg/ha in 1973 and was at its lowest, -1.7 kg/ha, in 2023.

That places Australia and New Zealand 157th out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in Australia and New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in Australia and New Zealand, 1961 to 2023.
Year kg/ha Change
1961 11.06 kg/ha
1962 9.53 kg/ha -13.9%
1963 10.42 kg/ha +9.4%
1964 13.75 kg/ha +31.9%
1965 15.53 kg/ha +12.9%
1966 13.2 kg/ha -15.0%
1967 12.82 kg/ha -2.9%
1968 10.52 kg/ha -17.9%
1969 11.22 kg/ha +6.6%
1970 10.83 kg/ha -3.5%
1971 13.31 kg/ha +23.0%
1972 17.35 kg/ha +30.3%
1973 20.31 kg/ha +17.1%
1974 8.7 kg/ha -57.2%
1975 8.38 kg/ha -3.6%
1976 12.66 kg/ha +51.1%
1977 14.04 kg/ha +10.9%
1978 11.63 kg/ha -17.2%
1979 12.1 kg/ha +4.0%
1980 12.11 kg/ha +0.1%
1981 9.73 kg/ha -19.7%
1982 9.96 kg/ha +2.3%
1983 6.5 kg/ha -34.7%
1984 6.27 kg/ha -3.5%
1985 5.74 kg/ha -8.4%
1986 6.39 kg/ha +11.4%
1987 9.76 kg/ha +52.7%
1988 9.4 kg/ha -3.7%
1989 8.9 kg/ha -5.3%
1990 5.32 kg/ha -40.2%
1991 6.79 kg/ha +27.6%
1992 9.66 kg/ha +42.2%
1993 8.12 kg/ha -16.0%
1994 9.99 kg/ha +23.0%
1995 13.41 kg/ha +34.3%
1996 9.68 kg/ha -27.8%
1997 8.72 kg/ha -9.9%
1998 8.6 kg/ha -1.4%
1999 7.3 kg/ha -15.1%
2000 7.48 kg/ha +2.5%
2001 8.58 kg/ha +14.7%
2002 7.06 kg/ha -17.7%
2003 10.04 kg/ha +42.1%
2004 6.64 kg/ha -33.8%
2005 6.21 kg/ha -6.6%
2006 5.75 kg/ha -7.3%
2007 9.97 kg/ha +73.2%
2008 6.12 kg/ha -38.6%
2009 2.02 kg/ha -66.9%
2010 4.06 kg/ha +100.7%
2011 2.66 kg/ha -34.5%
2012 1.48 kg/ha -44.5%
2013 2.32 kg/ha +57.5%
2014 2.87 kg/ha +23.6%
2015 3.77 kg/ha +31.3%
2016 3.69 kg/ha -2.2%
2017 1.73 kg/ha -53.1%
2018 3.51 kg/ha +102.7%
2019 4.98 kg/ha +41.8%
2020 6.09 kg/ha +22.3%
2021 4.01 kg/ha -34.2%
2022 0.3487 kg/ha -91.3%
2023 -1.7 kg/ha -586.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 12 kg/ha 9.53 kg/ha 15.53 kg/ha 9
1970s 12.93 kg/ha 8.38 kg/ha 20.31 kg/ha 10
1980s 8.48 kg/ha 5.74 kg/ha 12.11 kg/ha 10
1990s 8.76 kg/ha 5.32 kg/ha 13.41 kg/ha 10
2000s 6.99 kg/ha 2.02 kg/ha 10.04 kg/ha 10
2010s 3.11 kg/ha 1.48 kg/ha 4.98 kg/ha 10
2020s 2.19 kg/ha -1.7 kg/ha 6.09 kg/ha 4

Countries ranked near Australia and New Zealand

  1. 154 Dominica -1.48 kg/ha compare
  2. 155 Mozambique -1.51 kg/ha compare
  3. 156 Niger -1.6 kg/ha compare
  4. 158 Australia -1.74 kg/ha compare
  5. 159 Papua New Guinea -1.77 kg/ha compare
  6. 160 Argentina -1.94 kg/ha compare

See the full ranking of 233 places →

More environment data for Australia and New Zealand

All data for Australia and New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in Australia and New Zealand?
Nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in Australia and New Zealand was -1.7 kg/ha in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area recorded in Australia and New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 20.31 kg/ha in 1973.
What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area recorded in Australia and New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was -1.7 kg/ha in 2023.
How does Australia and New Zealand rank for nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area?
Australia and New Zealand ranks 157th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
Is nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area rising or falling in Australia and New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 172.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Australia and New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in Australia and New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/nutrient-balance-cropland-phosphorus-per-unit-area/australia-and-new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus 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 (%).