China vs USSR: Fertilizer use by nutrient

China

24.55 million tonnes

in 2023

USSR

7.78 million tonnes

in 1991

China rank

1st

USSR rank

1st

Fertilizer use by nutrient over time

China currently reports 24.55 million tonnes against 7.78 million tonnes in USSR, a difference of 16.77 million tonnes.

That makes China's figure about 3.2 times USSR's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1961 it was USSR ahead.

China ranks 1st and USSR ranks 1st of 201 countries.

Indicator: Fertilizer use by nutrient
Unit: tonnes
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 202 places, 10,271 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Fertilizer use in the agricultural sector, which includes use for crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture.