China vs Japan: Phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland
China
73.4 kilograms per hectare
in 2023
Japan
63.56 kilograms per hectare
in 2023
China rank
6th
Japan rank
9th
Phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland over time
- China
- Japan
How they compare
China currently reports 73.4 kilograms per hectare against 63.56 kilograms per hectare in Japan, a difference of 9.84 kilograms per hectare.
That makes China's figure about 1.2 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 63 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Japan ahead.
China ranks 6th and Japan ranks 9th of 201 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and Japan in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.91 kilograms per hectare | 96.44 kilograms per hectare | 91.53 kilograms per hectare | Japan |
| 1970s | 14.96 kilograms per hectare | 129.38 kilograms per hectare | 114.41 kilograms per hectare | Japan |
| 1980s | 32.54 kilograms per hectare | 136.65 kilograms per hectare | 104.1 kilograms per hectare | Japan |
| 1990s | 59.51 kilograms per hectare | 128 kilograms per hectare | 68.49 kilograms per hectare | Japan |
| 2000s | 79.29 kilograms per hectare | 97.84 kilograms per hectare | 18.55 kilograms per hectare | Japan |
| 2010s | 97.03 kilograms per hectare | 78.6 kilograms per hectare | 18.42 kilograms per hectare | China |
| 2020s | 76.94 kilograms per hectare | 67.26 kilograms per hectare | 9.68 kilograms per hectare | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland, China or Japan?
- China, at 73.4 kilograms per hectare against 63.56 kilograms per hectare in Japan as of 2023.
- What is the difference in phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland between China and Japan?
- 9.84 kilograms per hectare, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
- How do China and Japan rank globally for phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland?
- China ranks 6th and Japan ranks 9th 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 Phosphate fertilizer use per hectare of cropland. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Application of phosphate fertilizer, measured in kilograms of total nutrient per hectare.