Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus in Europe

Europe: Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus was 243,990 t in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
243,990 t
Change on year
up 24.4%
Rank
10th
of 29 groups
All-time high
6.78 million t
in 1986
All-time low
196,180 t
in 2022
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus in Europe, 1961–2023

02.0M4.0M6.0M196119922023

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus in Europe is 243,990 t, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 24.4% on the previous year and down 66.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus in Europe peaked at 6.78 million t in 1986 and was at its lowest, 196,180 t, in 2022.

Europe ranks 10th of 29 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus in Europe, year by year

Annual values for Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus in Europe, 1961 to 2023.
Year t Change
1961 3.12 million t —
1962 3.27 million t +4.7%
1963 3.53 million t +8.2%
1964 3.59 million t +1.7%
1965 3.90 million t +8.4%
1966 4.00 million t +2.5%
1967 4.24 million t +6.0%
1968 4.38 million t +3.4%
1969 4.60 million t +5.1%
1970 4.85 million t +5.4%
1971 5.09 million t +5.1%
1972 5.35 million t +5.0%
1973 5.41 million t +1.2%
1974 5.41 million t -0.1%
1975 5.87 million t +8.7%
1976 5.82 million t -0.9%
1977 6.02 million t +3.5%
1978 6.20 million t +3.0%
1979 6.57 million t +6.0%
1980 6.25 million t -4.9%
1981 6.41 million t +2.6%
1982 6.24 million t -2.7%
1983 6.48 million t +3.9%
1984 6.40 million t -1.2%
1985 6.60 million t +3.0%
1986 6.78 million t +2.8%
1987 6.72 million t -0.9%
1988 6.70 million t -0.3%
1989 6.38 million t -4.9%
1990 5.71 million t -10.4%
1991 4.81 million t -15.7%
1992 3.27 million t -32.0%
1993 2.64 million t -19.3%
1994 2.32 million t -12.3%
1995 2.25 million t -3.0%
1996 2.21 million t -1.7%
1997 1.80 million t -18.4%
1998 1.89 million t +4.8%
1999 1.74 million t -7.7%
2000 1.59 million t -8.8%
2001 1.37 million t -13.9%
2002 1.32 million t -3.3%
2003 1.58 million t +19.4%
2004 1.10 million t -30.6%
2005 1.18 million t +7.8%
2006 1.24 million t +5.0%
2007 1.47 million t +18.6%
2008 527,337 t -64.2%
2009 621,294 t +17.8%
2010 1.03 million t +65.0%
2011 711,867 t -30.6%
2012 1.03 million t +44.7%
2013 737,105 t -28.4%
2014 528,400 t -28.3%
2015 646,442 t +22.3%
2016 682,668 t +5.6%
2017 688,621 t +0.9%
2018 723,343 t +5.0%
2019 639,557 t -11.6%
2020 856,168 t +33.9%
2021 422,048 t -50.7%
2022 196,180 t -53.5%
2023 243,990 t +24.4%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus in Europe 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
2008 -64.2% 1.47 million t 527,337 t
2010 +65.0% 621,294 t 1.03 million t
2022 -53.5% 422,048 t 196,180 t
2021 -50.7% 856,168 t 422,048 t

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 3.85 million t 3.12 million t 4.60 million t 9
1970s 5.66 million t 4.85 million t 6.57 million t 10
1980s 6.50 million t 6.24 million t 6.78 million t 10
1990s 2.86 million t 1.74 million t 5.71 million t 10
2000s 1.20 million t 527,337 t 1.59 million t 10
2010s 741,274 t 528,400 t 1.03 million t 10
2020s 429,596 t 196,180 t 856,168 t 4

Countries ranked near Europe

  1. 7 Bangladesh 287,365 t compare
  2. 7 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 5,217 t compare
  3. 8 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 5,189 t compare
  4. 8 Spain 169,311 t compare
  5. 9 Yugoslav SFR 138,874 t compare
  6. 9 Polynesia 134.28 t compare
  7. 10 Colombia 109,100 t compare
  8. 10 Micronesia (Federated States of) -104.76 t compare
  9. 11 Thailand 107,984 t compare
  10. 11 Melanesia -2,819 t compare
  11. 12 Canada 101,773 t compare
  12. 12 Republic of Moldova -3,173 t compare
  13. 13 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) -4,221 t compare
  14. 13 Mexico 100,045 t compare

See the full ranking of 233 places →

More environment data for Europe

All data for Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus in Europe?
Nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus in Europe was 243,990 t in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus recorded in Europe?
The highest recorded value was 6.78 million t in 1986.
What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus recorded in Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 196,180 t in 2022.
How does Europe rank for nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus?
Europe ranks 10th out of 29 groups with data for 2023.
Is nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus rising or falling in Europe?
Over the last ten years it is down 66.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Europe 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 Europe. 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/europe/

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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 (%).