China vs United States: Fertilizer use by nutrient
China
24.55 million tonnes
in 2023
United States
11.43 million tonnes
in 2023
China rank
1st
United States rank
3rd
Fertilizer use by nutrient over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 24.55 million tonnes against 11.43 million tonnes in United States, a difference of 13.12 million tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 2.1 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 63 shared years of data; in 1961 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 201 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 5 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.65 million tonnes | 4.78 million tonnes | 3.13 million tonnes | United States |
| 1970s | 5.57 million tonnes | 8.53 million tonnes | 2.96 million tonnes | United States |
| 1980s | 14.64 million tonnes | 9.76 million tonnes | 4.88 million tonnes | China |
| 1990s | 21.61 million tonnes | 10.87 million tonnes | 10.74 million tonnes | China |
| 2000s | 26.02 million tonnes | 11.12 million tonnes | 14.90 million tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 29.77 million tonnes | 11.87 million tonnes | 17.90 million tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 24.96 million tonnes | 11.63 million tonnes | 13.33 million tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fertilizer use by nutrient, China or United States?
- China, at 24.55 million tonnes against 11.43 million tonnes in United States as of 2023.
- What is the difference in fertilizer use by nutrient between China and United States?
- 13.12 million tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
- How do China and United States rank globally for fertilizer use by nutrient?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 201 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 use by nutrient. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Fertilizer use in the agricultural sector, which includes use for crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture.