United States vs USSR: Fertilizer use by nutrient
United States
11.43 million tonnes
in 2023
USSR
7.78 million tonnes
in 1991
United States rank
3rd
USSR rank
1st
Fertilizer use by nutrient over time
- United States
- USSR
How they compare
United States currently reports 11.43 million tonnes against 7.78 million tonnes in USSR, a difference of 3.65 million tonnes.
That makes United States's figure about 1.5 times USSR's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1961 it was United States ahead.
United States ranks 3rd and USSR ranks 1st of 201 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, United States averaged higher in 3 and USSR in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | United States | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.78 million tonnes | 2.26 million tonnes | 2.52 million tonnes | United States |
| 1970s | 8.53 million tonnes | 6.56 million tonnes | 1.98 million tonnes | United States |
| 1980s | 9.76 million tonnes | 10.20 million tonnes | 441,894 tonnes | USSR |
| 1990s | 10.26 million tonnes | 8.26 million tonnes | 2.00 million tonnes | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fertilizer use by nutrient, United States or USSR?
- United States, at 11.43 million tonnes against 7.78 million tonnes in USSR as of 2023.
- What is the difference in fertilizer use by nutrient between United States and USSR?
- 3.65 million tonnes, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for United States and USSR?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 1991.
- How do United States and USSR rank globally for fertilizer use by nutrient?
- United States ranks 3rd and USSR ranks 1st 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.