Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus in China, mainland

China, mainland: Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus was 2.11 million t in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
2.11 million t
Change on year
down 5.6%
World rank
3rd
of 186 countries
All-time high
4.88 million t
in 2010
All-time low
-156,257 t
in 1962
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus in China, mainland, 1961–2023

02.0M4.0M196119922023

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

Analysis

In 2023, nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus in China, mainland stood at 2.11 million t.

That represents a change of down 5.6% on the previous year and down 51.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus in China, mainland peaked at 4.88 million t in 2010 and was at its lowest, -156,257 t, in 1962.

China, mainland ranks 3rd of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus in China, mainland, year by year

Annual values for Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus in China, mainland, 1961 to 2023.
Year t Change
1961 -92,686 t —
1962 -156,257 t +68.6%
1963 -135,508 t -13.3%
1964 -95,000 t -29.9%
1965 31,210 t -132.9%
1966 109,643 t +251.3%
1967 -11,149 t -110.2%
1968 -67,668 t +507.0%
1969 65,944 t -197.5%
1970 37,099 t -43.7%
1971 128,549 t +246.5%
1972 301,441 t +134.5%
1973 394,583 t +30.9%
1974 253,008 t -35.9%
1975 284,403 t +12.4%
1976 260,521 t -8.4%
1977 438,000 t +68.1%
1978 79,374 t -81.9%
1979 338,156 t +326.0%
1980 688,953 t +103.7%
1981 703,983 t +2.2%
1982 805,324 t +14.4%
1983 934,997 t +16.1%
1984 811,828 t -13.2%
1985 508,436 t -37.4%
1986 542,435 t +6.7%
1987 1.15 million t +111.6%
1988 1.48 million t +28.9%
1989 1.54 million t +4.2%
1990 1.63 million t +5.9%
1991 2.29 million t +40.2%
1992 2.15 million t -6.1%
1993 1.53 million t -28.7%
1994 2.36 million t +54.1%
1995 3.03 million t +28.1%
1996 2.65 million t -12.5%
1997 3.01 million t +13.7%
1998 3.08 million t +2.1%
1999 2.90 million t -5.8%
2000 2.87 million t -1.0%
2001 2.95 million t +3.0%
2002 3.52 million t +19.1%
2003 3.33 million t -5.4%
2004 3.62 million t +8.6%
2005 3.93 million t +8.6%
2006 4.04 million t +2.8%
2007 3.26 million t -19.2%
2008 3.35 million t +2.9%
2009 4.30 million t +28.1%
2010 4.88 million t +13.6%
2011 4.45 million t -8.8%
2012 4.44 million t -0.2%
2013 4.38 million t -1.4%
2014 4.16 million t -4.9%
2015 3.71 million t -10.9%
2016 3.65 million t -1.6%
2017 3.37 million t -7.8%
2018 2.96 million t -12.1%
2019 2.52 million t -14.9%
2020 2.53 million t +0.4%
2021 2.48 million t -1.8%
2022 2.24 million t -9.8%
2023 2.11 million t -5.6%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus in China, mainland 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.

YearChange FromTo
1968 -507.0% -11,149 t -67,668 t
1979 +326.0% 79,374 t 338,156 t
1966 +251.3% 31,210 t 109,643 t
1971 +246.5% 37,099 t 128,549 t
1969 +197.5% -67,668 t 65,944 t
1972 +134.5% 128,549 t 301,441 t

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s -39,052 t -156,257 t 109,643 t 9
1970s 251,513 t 37,099 t 438,000 t 10
1980s 916,430 t 508,436 t 1.54 million t 10
1990s 2.46 million t 1.53 million t 3.08 million t 10
2000s 3.52 million t 2.87 million t 4.30 million t 10
2010s 3.85 million t 2.52 million t 4.88 million t 10
2020s 2.34 million t 2.11 million t 2.53 million t 4

Countries ranked near China, mainland

  1. 1 USSR 7.19 million t compare
  2. 2 China 2.56 million t compare
  3. 2 Viet Nam 253,618 t compare
  4. 4 India 1.81 million t compare
  5. 4 Türkiye 70,497 t compare
  6. 5 Brazil 880,846 t compare
  7. 5 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 20,052 t compare
  8. 6 Lao People's Democratic Republic 8,144 t compare
  9. 6 Pakistan 370,286 t compare

See the full ranking of 233 places →

More environment data for China, mainland

All data for China, mainland →

Frequently asked questions

What is nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus in China, mainland?
Nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus in China, mainland was 2.11 million t in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus recorded in China, mainland?
The highest recorded value was 4.88 million t in 2010.
What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus recorded in China, mainland?
The lowest recorded value was -156,257 t in 1962.
How does China, mainland rank for nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus?
China, mainland ranks 3rd out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
Is nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus rising or falling in China, mainland?
Over the last ten years it is down 51.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China, mainland data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus in China, mainland. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/nutrient-balance-cropland-phosphorus/china-mainland/

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About this data

Indicator
Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus
Unit
t
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 (%).