Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Agricultural Use in South Africa
South Africa: Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Agricultural Use was 640,129 t in 2024. ▲ Rising
Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Agricultural Use in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in t.
Analysis
The most recent figure for nutrient nitrogen n (total) — agricultural use in South Africa is 640,129 t, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.7% on the previous year and up 62.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nutrient nitrogen n (total) — agricultural use in South Africa peaked at 646,817 t in 2021 and was at its lowest, 54,476 t, in 1961.
South Africa ranks 28th of 213 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Agricultural Use in South Africa, year by year
| Year | t | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 54,476 t | — |
| 1962 | 70,686 t | +29.8% |
| 1963 | 85,000 t | +20.3% |
| 1964 | 93,100 t | +9.5% |
| 1965 | 98,500 t | +5.8% |
| 1966 | 97,900 t | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 131,000 t | +33.8% |
| 1968 | 143,900 t | +9.8% |
| 1969 | 150,000 t | +4.2% |
| 1970 | 180,600 t | +20.4% |
| 1971 | 208,400 t | +15.4% |
| 1972 | 253,000 t | +21.4% |
| 1973 | 231,100 t | -8.7% |
| 1974 | 230,153 t | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 285,316 t | +24.0% |
| 1976 | 315,941 t | +10.7% |
| 1977 | 343,002 t | +8.6% |
| 1978 | 378,901 t | +10.5% |
| 1979 | 400,287 t | +5.6% |
| 1980 | 466,385 t | +16.5% |
| 1981 | 528,569 t | +13.3% |
| 1982 | 475,900 t | -10.0% |
| 1983 | 367,900 t | -22.7% |
| 1984 | 409,100 t | +11.2% |
| 1985 | 379,000 t | -7.4% |
| 1986 | 372,900 t | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 328,200 t | -12.0% |
| 1988 | 380,874 t | +16.0% |
| 1989 | 375,231 t | -1.5% |
| 1990 | 377,600 t | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 358,100 t | -5.2% |
| 1992 | 363,000 t | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 411,603 t | +13.4% |
| 1994 | 375,100 t | -8.9% |
| 1995 | 386,000 t | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 405,000 t | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 405,000 t | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 406,000 t | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 413,000 t | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 415,900 t | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 393,000 t | -5.5% |
| 2002 | 477,072 t | +21.4% |
| 2003 | 420,827 t | -11.8% |
| 2004 | 427,571 t | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 347,260 t | -18.8% |
| 2006 | 428,719 t | +23.5% |
| 2007 | 439,480 t | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 424,123 t | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 414,000 t | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 395,000 t | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 419,000 t | +6.1% |
| 2012 | 425,000 t | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 404,000 t | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 395,000 t | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 357,000 t | -9.6% |
| 2016 | 327,000 t | -8.4% |
| 2017 | 470,000 t | +43.7% |
| 2018 | 507,931 t | +8.1% |
| 2019 | 535,206 t | +5.4% |
| 2020 | 588,394 t | +9.9% |
| 2021 | 646,817 t | +9.9% |
| 2022 | 554,117 t | -14.3% |
| 2023 | 578,045 t | +4.3% |
| 2024 | 640,129 t | +10.7% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 640,129 t is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 41,800 t, 15.3× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 640,129 t is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 15,245 t, 42.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 102,729 t | 54,476 t | 150,000 t | 9 |
| 1970s | 282,670 t | 180,600 t | 400,287 t | 10 |
| 1980s | 408,406 t | 328,200 t | 528,569 t | 10 |
| 1990s | 390,040 t | 358,100 t | 413,000 t | 10 |
| 2000s | 418,795 t | 347,260 t | 477,072 t | 10 |
| 2010s | 423,514 t | 327,000 t | 535,206 t | 10 |
| 2020s | 601,500 t | 554,117 t | 646,817 t | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 25 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 872,000 t compare
- 26 Spain 871,885 t compare
- 27 Philippines 653,341 t compare
- 29 Ethiopia 547,262 t compare
- 30 Italy 541,402 t compare
- 31 Turkmenistan 510,576 t compare
More environment data for South Africa
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 1.3 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 69.19 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nutrient nitrogen n (total) — agricultural use in South Africa?
- Nutrient nitrogen n (total) — agricultural use in South Africa was 640,129 t in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest nutrient nitrogen n (total) — agricultural use recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 646,817 t in 2021.
- What is the lowest nutrient nitrogen n (total) — agricultural use recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 54,476 t in 1961.
- How does South Africa rank for nutrient nitrogen n (total) — agricultural use?
- South Africa ranks 28th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
- Is nutrient nitrogen n (total) — agricultural use rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 62.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Agricultural Use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The Fertilizers by Nutrient dataset contains information on the totals in nutrients for Production, Trade and Agriculture Use of inorganic (chemical or mineral) fertilizers. The data are provided for the three primary plant nutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (expressed as P2O5) and potassium (expressed as K2O). Both straight and compound fertilizers are included. Methodological details can be found at: https://files-faostat.fao.org/production/RFN/RFN_EN_README.pdf