Fertilizer consumption in North America
North America: Fertilizer consumption was 74.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Fertilizer consumption in North America, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of fertilizer production.
Analysis
North America recorded 74.6% for fertilizer consumption in 2023.
That represents a change of up 13.1% on the previous year and down 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertilizer consumption in North America peaked at 90.9% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 56.6%, in 1994.
North America ranks 36th of 46 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Fertilizer consumption in North America, year by year
| Year | % of fertilizer production | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 90.9% | — |
| 1962 | 89.4% | -1.6% |
| 1963 | 86.0% | -3.8% |
| 1964 | 83.6% | -2.7% |
| 1965 | 79.4% | -5.0% |
| 1966 | 81.0% | +2.0% |
| 1967 | 80.1% | -1.1% |
| 1968 | 80.9% | +1.0% |
| 1969 | 77.8% | -3.9% |
| 1970 | 79.1% | +1.7% |
| 1971 | 77.2% | -2.4% |
| 1972 | 77.7% | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 75.4% | -3.0% |
| 1974 | 73.2% | -2.9% |
| 1975 | 78.3% | +7.0% |
| 1976 | 78.5% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 76.0% | -3.2% |
| 1978 | 72.9% | -4.1% |
| 1979 | 70.7% | -3.0% |
| 1980 | 70.0% | -1.0% |
| 1981 | 79.7% | +13.9% |
| 1982 | 75.6% | -5.2% |
| 1983 | 70.0% | -7.3% |
| 1984 | 67.7% | -3.3% |
| 1985 | 73.9% | +9.1% |
| 1986 | 62.7% | -15.2% |
| 1987 | 58.7% | -6.3% |
| 1988 | 56.9% | -3.1% |
| 1989 | 60.9% | +7.1% |
| 1990 | 60.0% | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 58.0% | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 58.5% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 60.8% | +4.1% |
| 1994 | 56.6% | -6.9% |
| 1995 | 58.9% | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 58.3% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 61.5% | +5.5% |
| 1998 | 61.3% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 67.2% | +9.5% |
| 2000 | 68.9% | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 70.9% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 74.9% | +5.7% |
| 2003 | 82.3% | +9.9% |
| 2004 | 74.2% | -9.9% |
| 2005 | 79.6% | +7.2% |
| 2006 | 79.5% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 73.0% | -8.1% |
| 2008 | 75.3% | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 88.6% | +17.7% |
| 2010 | 77.6% | -12.4% |
| 2011 | 82.0% | +5.7% |
| 2012 | 85.2% | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 81.8% | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 77.2% | -5.7% |
| 2015 | 75.7% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 74.1% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 70.0% | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 67.3% | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 67.7% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 69.6% | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 69.9% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 66.0% | -5.6% |
| 2023 | 74.6% | +13.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 83.2% | 77.8% | 90.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 75.9% | 70.7% | 79.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 67.6% | 56.9% | 79.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 60.1% | 56.6% | 67.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 76.7% | 68.9% | 88.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.8% | 67.3% | 85.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.0% | 66.0% | 74.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near North America
More agriculture & rural data for North America
- Rural population, per capita 0.1951 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.0% (2021)
- Rural population 74.83 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.2% (2025)
- Rural population 19.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 691.3 current US$ per person (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.18 % change on previous year (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0099 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertilizer consumption in North America?
- Fertilizer consumption in North America was 74.6% in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest fertilizer consumption recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 90.9% in 1961.
- What is the lowest fertilizer consumption recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.6% in 1994.
- How does North America rank for fertilizer consumption?
- North America ranks 36th out of 46 groups with data for 2023.
- Is fertilizer consumption rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North America data come from?
- The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Fertilizer consumption (% of fertilizer production). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Fertilizer consumption measures the quantity of plant nutrients and is calculated as production plus imports minus exports. Fertilizer products cover nitrogenous, potash, and phosphate fertilizers (including ground rock phosphate). Traditional nutrients--animal and plant manures--are not included. Because some chemical compounds used for fertilizers have other industrial applications, the consumption data may overstate the quantity available for crops. Fertilizer consumption as a share of production shows the agriculture sector's vulnerability to import and energy price fluctuation. Most fertilizers that are commonly used in agriculture contain the three basic plant nutrients-nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Some fertilizers also contain certain micronutrients such as zinc and other metals that are necessary for plant growth. Materials that are applied to the land primarily to enhance soil characteristics (rather than as plant food) are commonly referred to as soil amendments.