China vs USSR: Fertilizer consumption
China
42.72 million tonnes
in 2023
USSR
19.47 million tonnes
in 1991
China rank
1st
USSR rank
1st
Fertilizer consumption over time
- China
- USSR
How they compare
China currently reports 42.72 million tonnes against 19.47 million tonnes in USSR, a difference of 23.26 million tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 2.2 times USSR's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 31 shared years of data; in 1961 it was USSR ahead.
China ranks 1st and USSR ranks 1st of 200 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and USSR in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.20 million tonnes | 5.84 million tonnes | 3.64 million tonnes | USSR |
| 1970s | 7.26 million tonnes | 15.10 million tonnes | 7.84 million tonnes | USSR |
| 1980s | 19.36 million tonnes | 23.51 million tonnes | 4.15 million tonnes | USSR |
| 1990s | 28.47 million tonnes | 20.55 million tonnes | 7.92 million tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fertilizer consumption, China or USSR?
- China, at 42.72 million tonnes against 19.47 million tonnes in USSR as of 2023.
- What is the difference in fertilizer consumption between China and USSR?
- 23.26 million tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and USSR?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 1991.
- How do China and USSR rank globally for fertilizer consumption?
- China ranks 1st and USSR ranks 1st of 200 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Fertilizer consumption. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Agricultural use from all fertilizer products (including nitrogenous, potash, and phosphate fertilizers).