Canada vs United States: Nitrogen fertilizer use
Canada
3.12 million tonnes
in 2023
United States
11.43 million tonnes
in 2023
Canada rank
6th
United States rank
3rd
Nitrogen fertilizer use over time
- Canada
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 11.43 million tonnes against 3.12 million tonnes in Canada, a difference of 8.31 million tonnes.
That makes United States's figure about 3.7 times Canada's.
Across all 63 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 6th and United States ranks 3rd of 201 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 207,728 tonnes | 4.78 million tonnes | 4.57 million tonnes | United States |
| 1970s | 567,831 tonnes | 8.53 million tonnes | 7.96 million tonnes | United States |
| 1980s | 1.15 million tonnes | 9.76 million tonnes | 8.61 million tonnes | United States |
| 1990s | 1.48 million tonnes | 10.87 million tonnes | 9.39 million tonnes | United States |
| 2000s | 1.70 million tonnes | 11.12 million tonnes | 9.42 million tonnes | United States |
| 2010s | 2.52 million tonnes | 11.87 million tonnes | 9.35 million tonnes | United States |
| 2020s | 2.93 million tonnes | 11.63 million tonnes | 8.69 million tonnes | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher nitrogen fertilizer use, Canada or United States?
- United States, at 11.43 million tonnes against 3.12 million tonnes in Canada as of 2023.
- What is the difference in nitrogen fertilizer use between Canada and United States?
- 8.31 million tonnes, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United States?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
- How do Canada and United States rank globally for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- Canada ranks 6th 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 Nitrogen fertilizer use. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measures total nitrogen inputs, including synthetic fertilizers alongside organic inputs from manure and crop fixation. Measured in tonnes of nitrogen.