Fertilizer use vs. GDP per capita in South Africa
South Africa: Fertilizer use vs. GDP per capita was 30.5 kilograms per hectare in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
30.5 kilograms per hectare
Change on year
down 22.3%
World rank
111th
of 201 countries
All-time high
44.86 kilograms per hectare
in 2021
All-time low
4.02 kilograms per hectare
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Fertilizer use vs. GDP per capita in South Africa, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per hectare.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fertilizer use vs. gdp per capita in South Africa is 30.5 kilograms per hectare, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 22.3% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertilizer use vs. gdp per capita in South Africa peaked at 44.86 kilograms per hectare in 2021 and was at its lowest, 4.02 kilograms per hectare, in 1961.
That places South Africa 111th out of 201 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Fertilizer use vs. GDP per capita in South Africa, year by year
| Year | kilograms per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.02 kilograms per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 5.2 kilograms per hectare | +29.4% |
| 1963 | 6.22 kilograms per hectare | +19.6% |
| 1964 | 6.78 kilograms per hectare | +9.0% |
| 1965 | 7.14 kilograms per hectare | +5.3% |
| 1966 | 7.09 kilograms per hectare | -0.7% |
| 1967 | 9.47 kilograms per hectare | +33.6% |
| 1968 | 10.39 kilograms per hectare | +9.7% |
| 1969 | 10.81 kilograms per hectare | +4.0% |
| 1970 | 13.01 kilograms per hectare | +20.4% |
| 1971 | 14.99 kilograms per hectare | +15.2% |
| 1972 | 18.18 kilograms per hectare | +21.3% |
| 1973 | 16.58 kilograms per hectare | -8.8% |
| 1974 | 16.5 kilograms per hectare | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 20.44 kilograms per hectare | +23.9% |
| 1976 | 22.6 kilograms per hectare | +10.6% |
| 1977 | 24.52 kilograms per hectare | +8.5% |
| 1978 | 27.03 kilograms per hectare | +10.2% |
| 1979 | 28.53 kilograms per hectare | +5.5% |
| 1980 | 33.22 kilograms per hectare | +16.4% |
| 1981 | 37.62 kilograms per hectare | +13.2% |
| 1982 | 33.85 kilograms per hectare | -10.0% |
| 1983 | 26.16 kilograms per hectare | -22.7% |
| 1984 | 29.09 kilograms per hectare | +11.2% |
| 1985 | 26.95 kilograms per hectare | -7.4% |
| 1986 | 26.02 kilograms per hectare | -3.5% |
| 1987 | 22.99 kilograms per hectare | -11.6% |
| 1988 | 26.57 kilograms per hectare | +15.6% |
| 1989 | 25.98 kilograms per hectare | -2.2% |
| 1990 | 25.94 kilograms per hectare | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 24.41 kilograms per hectare | -5.9% |
| 1992 | 24.25 kilograms per hectare | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 26.97 kilograms per hectare | +11.2% |
| 1994 | 24.53 kilograms per hectare | -9.0% |
| 1995 | 25.14 kilograms per hectare | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 26.05 kilograms per hectare | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 25.95 kilograms per hectare | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 25.99 kilograms per hectare | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 26.31 kilograms per hectare | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 26.37 kilograms per hectare | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 25.11 kilograms per hectare | -4.8% |
| 2002 | 30.45 kilograms per hectare | +21.3% |
| 2003 | 27.05 kilograms per hectare | -11.2% |
| 2004 | 28.13 kilograms per hectare | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 23.06 kilograms per hectare | -18.0% |
| 2006 | 29.77 kilograms per hectare | +29.1% |
| 2007 | 30.51 kilograms per hectare | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 28.96 kilograms per hectare | -5.1% |
| 2009 | 28.53 kilograms per hectare | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 27.42 kilograms per hectare | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 30.3 kilograms per hectare | +10.5% |
| 2012 | 30.81 kilograms per hectare | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 29.29 kilograms per hectare | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 28.64 kilograms per hectare | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 25.88 kilograms per hectare | -9.6% |
| 2016 | 23.71 kilograms per hectare | -8.4% |
| 2017 | 34.08 kilograms per hectare | +43.7% |
| 2018 | 36.83 kilograms per hectare | +8.1% |
| 2019 | 38.8 kilograms per hectare | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 42.66 kilograms per hectare | +9.9% |
| 2021 | 44.86 kilograms per hectare | +5.2% |
| 2022 | 39.27 kilograms per hectare | -12.5% |
| 2023 | 30.5 kilograms per hectare | -22.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.46 kilograms per hectare | 4.02 kilograms per hectare | 10.81 kilograms per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 20.24 kilograms per hectare | 13.01 kilograms per hectare | 28.53 kilograms per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 28.84 kilograms per hectare | 22.99 kilograms per hectare | 37.62 kilograms per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 25.55 kilograms per hectare | 24.25 kilograms per hectare | 26.97 kilograms per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.79 kilograms per hectare | 23.06 kilograms per hectare | 30.51 kilograms per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.58 kilograms per hectare | 23.71 kilograms per hectare | 38.8 kilograms per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.32 kilograms per hectare | 30.5 kilograms per hectare | 44.86 kilograms per hectare | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertilizer use vs. gdp per capita in South Africa?
- Fertilizer use vs. gdp per capita in South Africa was 30.5 kilograms per hectare in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertilizer use vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 44.86 kilograms per hectare in 2021.
- What is the lowest fertilizer use vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.02 kilograms per hectare in 1961.
- How does South Africa rank for fertilizer use vs. gdp per capita?
- South Africa ranks 111th out of 201 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertilizer use vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertilizer use vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average fertilizer use, measured in kilograms per hectare of cropland versus GDP per capita, adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.