Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in France
France: Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area was -1.35 kg/ha in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in France, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
In 2023, nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in France stood at -1.35 kg/ha. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 137.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in France peaked at 47.31 kg/ha in 1973 and was at its lowest, -1.35 kg/ha, in 2023.
That places France 151st 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 France, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 22.56 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 23.31 kg/ha | +3.3% |
| 1963 | 25.12 kg/ha | +7.8% |
| 1964 | 26.87 kg/ha | +6.9% |
| 1965 | 27 kg/ha | +0.5% |
| 1966 | 30.22 kg/ha | +11.9% |
| 1967 | 32.88 kg/ha | +8.8% |
| 1968 | 35.46 kg/ha | +7.8% |
| 1969 | 37.4 kg/ha | +5.5% |
| 1970 | 40.73 kg/ha | +8.9% |
| 1971 | 43.28 kg/ha | +6.3% |
| 1972 | 45.72 kg/ha | +5.6% |
| 1973 | 47.31 kg/ha | +3.5% |
| 1974 | 37.95 kg/ha | -19.8% |
| 1975 | 38.07 kg/ha | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 41.79 kg/ha | +9.8% |
| 1977 | 41.18 kg/ha | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 41.92 kg/ha | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 42.84 kg/ha | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 37.67 kg/ha | -12.1% |
| 1981 | 35.85 kg/ha | -4.8% |
| 1982 | 33.98 kg/ha | -5.2% |
| 1983 | 35.74 kg/ha | +5.2% |
| 1984 | 30.79 kg/ha | -13.8% |
| 1985 | 28.46 kg/ha | -7.6% |
| 1986 | 28.67 kg/ha | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 26.1 kg/ha | -9.0% |
| 1988 | 26.82 kg/ha | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 27.38 kg/ha | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 24.09 kg/ha | -12.0% |
| 1991 | 21.5 kg/ha | -10.8% |
| 1992 | 16.82 kg/ha | -21.8% |
| 1993 | 17.28 kg/ha | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 18.1 kg/ha | +4.7% |
| 1995 | 18.03 kg/ha | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 16.79 kg/ha | -6.9% |
| 1997 | 15.89 kg/ha | -5.4% |
| 1998 | 14.26 kg/ha | -10.3% |
| 1999 | 13.82 kg/ha | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 11.23 kg/ha | -18.8% |
| 2001 | 12.17 kg/ha | +8.4% |
| 2002 | 8.93 kg/ha | -26.6% |
| 2003 | 11.72 kg/ha | +31.3% |
| 2004 | 7.33 kg/ha | -37.4% |
| 2005 | 6.6 kg/ha | -10.0% |
| 2006 | 6.51 kg/ha | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 8.58 kg/ha | +31.8% |
| 2008 | -0.1286 kg/ha | -101.5% |
| 2009 | -1.07 kg/ha | +728.3% |
| 2010 | 2.02 kg/ha | -289.4% |
| 2011 | 0.9167 kg/ha | -54.6% |
| 2012 | 2.98 kg/ha | +225.2% |
| 2013 | 3.58 kg/ha | +20.3% |
| 2014 | 1.2 kg/ha | -66.6% |
| 2015 | 1.34 kg/ha | +12.1% |
| 2016 | 3.94 kg/ha | +193.6% |
| 2017 | 1.58 kg/ha | -59.8% |
| 2018 | 3.21 kg/ha | +102.8% |
| 2019 | 1.28 kg/ha | -60.2% |
| 2020 | 5.04 kg/ha | +294.2% |
| 2021 | 1.42 kg/ha | -71.7% |
| 2022 | -1.3 kg/ha | -191.5% |
| 2023 | -1.35 kg/ha | +3.2% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's -1.35 kg/ha is below the median for high income countries, which is 7.75 kg/ha. (57 countries reporting)
- France's -1.35 kg/ha is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.26 kg/ha. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in France changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | -728.3% | -0.1286 kg/ha | -1.07 kg/ha |
| 2020 | +294.2% | 1.28 kg/ha | 5.04 kg/ha |
| 2010 | +289.4% | -1.07 kg/ha | 2.02 kg/ha |
| 2012 | +225.2% | 0.9167 kg/ha | 2.98 kg/ha |
| 2016 | +193.6% | 1.34 kg/ha | 3.94 kg/ha |
| 2022 | -191.5% | 1.42 kg/ha | -1.3 kg/ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 28.98 kg/ha | 22.56 kg/ha | 37.4 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 42.08 kg/ha | 37.95 kg/ha | 47.31 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 31.15 kg/ha | 26.1 kg/ha | 37.67 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.66 kg/ha | 13.82 kg/ha | 24.09 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.19 kg/ha | -1.07 kg/ha | 12.17 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.21 kg/ha | 0.9167 kg/ha | 3.94 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9531 kg/ha | -1.35 kg/ha | 5.04 kg/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near France
- 148 Armenia -1.24 kg/ha compare
- 149 Equatorial Guinea -1.25 kg/ha compare
- 150 Bulgaria -1.34 kg/ha compare
- 152 Azerbaijan -1.45 kg/ha compare
- 153 Burkina Faso -1.46 kg/ha compare
- 154 Dominica -1.48 kg/ha compare
More environment data for France
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.44 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.44 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.427 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.31 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -3.66 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -3.23 % 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 -0.1777 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in France?
- Nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in France was -1.35 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 47.31 kg/ha in 1973.
- What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.35 kg/ha in 2023.
- How does France rank for nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area?
- France ranks 151st out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 137.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this France 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.
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 (%).