Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in Ireland
Ireland: Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area was 20.35 kg/ha in 2023. ▼ Falling
Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in Ireland, 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 Ireland stood at 20.35 kg/ha.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 19.5% on the previous year and down 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in Ireland peaked at 48.16 kg/ha in 1973 and was at its lowest, 16.48 kg/ha, in 1961.
Ireland ranks 23rd of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in Ireland, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 16.48 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 18.66 kg/ha | +13.2% |
| 1963 | 21.64 kg/ha | +16.0% |
| 1964 | 23.76 kg/ha | +9.8% |
| 1965 | 23.3 kg/ha | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 32.46 kg/ha | +39.3% |
| 1967 | 33.84 kg/ha | +4.3% |
| 1968 | 34.57 kg/ha | +2.2% |
| 1969 | 37.91 kg/ha | +9.7% |
| 1970 | 39.47 kg/ha | +4.1% |
| 1971 | 37.69 kg/ha | -4.5% |
| 1972 | 47.29 kg/ha | +25.5% |
| 1973 | 48.16 kg/ha | +1.9% |
| 1974 | 34.97 kg/ha | -27.4% |
| 1975 | 39.65 kg/ha | +13.4% |
| 1976 | 41.07 kg/ha | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 39.26 kg/ha | -4.4% |
| 1978 | 42.07 kg/ha | +7.2% |
| 1979 | 35.27 kg/ha | -16.2% |
| 1980 | 30.42 kg/ha | -13.8% |
| 1981 | 30.32 kg/ha | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 29.9 kg/ha | -1.4% |
| 1983 | 34.41 kg/ha | +15.1% |
| 1984 | 29.04 kg/ha | -15.6% |
| 1985 | 29.94 kg/ha | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 36.92 kg/ha | +23.3% |
| 1987 | 35.27 kg/ha | -4.5% |
| 1988 | 38.36 kg/ha | +8.8% |
| 1989 | 39.94 kg/ha | +4.1% |
| 1990 | 40.43 kg/ha | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 41.48 kg/ha | +2.6% |
| 1992 | 40.54 kg/ha | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 43.75 kg/ha | +7.9% |
| 1994 | 44.75 kg/ha | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 43.99 kg/ha | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 37.21 kg/ha | -15.4% |
| 1997 | 34.81 kg/ha | -6.5% |
| 1998 | 34.92 kg/ha | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 32.51 kg/ha | -6.9% |
| 2000 | 26.89 kg/ha | -17.3% |
| 2001 | 26.35 kg/ha | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 27.53 kg/ha | +4.5% |
| 2003 | 25 kg/ha | -9.2% |
| 2004 | 20.46 kg/ha | -18.2% |
| 2005 | 25.83 kg/ha | +26.3% |
| 2006 | 26.16 kg/ha | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 22.93 kg/ha | -12.4% |
| 2008 | 16.49 kg/ha | -28.1% |
| 2009 | 22.2 kg/ha | +34.6% |
| 2010 | 21.77 kg/ha | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 22.14 kg/ha | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 25 kg/ha | +12.9% |
| 2013 | 23.87 kg/ha | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 18.53 kg/ha | -22.4% |
| 2015 | 19.32 kg/ha | +4.3% |
| 2016 | 23.22 kg/ha | +20.2% |
| 2017 | 24.05 kg/ha | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 27.48 kg/ha | +14.2% |
| 2019 | 22.62 kg/ha | -17.7% |
| 2020 | 27.15 kg/ha | +20.0% |
| 2021 | 23.67 kg/ha | -12.8% |
| 2022 | 17.04 kg/ha | -28.0% |
| 2023 | 20.35 kg/ha | +19.5% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 20.35 kg/ha is above the median for high income countries, which is 7.75 kg/ha, 2.6× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 20.35 kg/ha is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.26 kg/ha, 4.8× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 26.96 kg/ha | 16.48 kg/ha | 37.91 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 40.49 kg/ha | 34.97 kg/ha | 48.16 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 33.45 kg/ha | 29.04 kg/ha | 39.94 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 39.44 kg/ha | 32.51 kg/ha | 44.75 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.98 kg/ha | 16.49 kg/ha | 27.53 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.8 kg/ha | 18.53 kg/ha | 27.48 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.05 kg/ha | 17.04 kg/ha | 27.15 kg/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More environment data for Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.412 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.13 % 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 -0.0083 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in Ireland?
- Nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in Ireland was 20.35 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 48.16 kg/ha in 1973.
- What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.48 kg/ha in 1961.
- How does Ireland rank for nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area?
- Ireland ranks 23rd out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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 (%).