Fertilizer use per capita in Australia
Australia: Fertilizer use per capita was 9.82 Kilograms per capita in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
9.82 Kilograms per capita
Change on year
up 7.6%
World rank
16th
of 205 countries
All-time high
15.61 Kilograms per capita
in 2021
All-time low
3.53 Kilograms per capita
in 1962
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Fertilizer use per capita in Australia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in Kilograms per capita.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fertilizer use per capita in Australia is 9.82 Kilograms per capita, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 7.6% on the previous year and up 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertilizer use per capita in Australia peaked at 15.61 Kilograms per capita in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.53 Kilograms per capita, in 1962.
That places Australia 16th out of 205 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Fertilizer use per capita in Australia, year by year
| Year | Kilograms per capita | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.56 Kilograms per capita | — |
| 1962 | 3.53 Kilograms per capita | -22.6% |
| 1963 | 5.52 Kilograms per capita | +56.4% |
| 1964 | 5.46 Kilograms per capita | -1.1% |
| 1965 | 5.52 Kilograms per capita | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 5.86 Kilograms per capita | +6.2% |
| 1967 | 6.24 Kilograms per capita | +6.5% |
| 1968 | 6.35 Kilograms per capita | +1.8% |
| 1969 | 6.14 Kilograms per capita | -3.3% |
| 1970 | 7.22 Kilograms per capita | +17.6% |
| 1971 | 6.44 Kilograms per capita | -10.8% |
| 1972 | 7.4 Kilograms per capita | +14.9% |
| 1973 | 8.44 Kilograms per capita | +14.1% |
| 1974 | 9.16 Kilograms per capita | +8.5% |
| 1975 | 5.25 Kilograms per capita | -42.7% |
| 1976 | 7.1 Kilograms per capita | +35.2% |
| 1977 | 7.04 Kilograms per capita | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 7.79 Kilograms per capita | +10.7% |
| 1979 | 9.01 Kilograms per capita | +15.7% |
| 1980 | 8.69 Kilograms per capita | -3.6% |
| 1981 | 9.16 Kilograms per capita | +5.4% |
| 1982 | 8.36 Kilograms per capita | -8.7% |
| 1983 | 9.13 Kilograms per capita | +9.2% |
| 1984 | 9.04 Kilograms per capita | -1.0% |
| 1985 | 8.21 Kilograms per capita | -9.2% |
| 1986 | 8.44 Kilograms per capita | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 9.03 Kilograms per capita | +7.0% |
| 1988 | 9.69 Kilograms per capita | +7.3% |
| 1989 | 9.64 Kilograms per capita | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 8.49 Kilograms per capita | -11.9% |
| 1991 | 8.19 Kilograms per capita | -3.5% |
| 1992 | 8.4 Kilograms per capita | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 9.93 Kilograms per capita | +18.2% |
| 1994 | 12.27 Kilograms per capita | +23.6% |
| 1995 | 12.75 Kilograms per capita | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 11.25 Kilograms per capita | -11.8% |
| 1997 | 13.76 Kilograms per capita | +22.3% |
| 1998 | 12.4 Kilograms per capita | -9.9% |
| 1999 | 11.42 Kilograms per capita | -7.9% |
| 2000 | 11.34 Kilograms per capita | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 12.49 Kilograms per capita | +10.1% |
| 2002 | 11 Kilograms per capita | -11.9% |
| 2003 | 11.14 Kilograms per capita | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 12.91 Kilograms per capita | +15.9% |
| 2005 | 10.94 Kilograms per capita | -15.3% |
| 2006 | 10.85 Kilograms per capita | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 10.85 Kilograms per capita | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 10 Kilograms per capita | -7.8% |
| 2009 | 7.2 Kilograms per capita | -28.0% |
| 2010 | 7.5 Kilograms per capita | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 7.99 Kilograms per capita | +6.5% |
| 2012 | 8.23 Kilograms per capita | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 9.02 Kilograms per capita | +9.6% |
| 2014 | 9.81 Kilograms per capita | +8.8% |
| 2015 | 10.02 Kilograms per capita | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 10.5 Kilograms per capita | +4.8% |
| 2017 | 11.04 Kilograms per capita | +5.1% |
| 2018 | 11.69 Kilograms per capita | +5.9% |
| 2019 | 11.3 Kilograms per capita | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 13.13 Kilograms per capita | +16.2% |
| 2021 | 15.61 Kilograms per capita | +18.9% |
| 2022 | 9.13 Kilograms per capita | -41.5% |
| 2023 | 9.82 Kilograms per capita | +7.6% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 9.82 Kilograms per capita is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.42 Kilograms per capita, 4.1× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Australia's 9.82 Kilograms per capita is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.965 Kilograms per capita, 10.2× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.46 Kilograms per capita | 3.53 Kilograms per capita | 6.35 Kilograms per capita | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.48 Kilograms per capita | 5.25 Kilograms per capita | 9.16 Kilograms per capita | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.94 Kilograms per capita | 8.21 Kilograms per capita | 9.69 Kilograms per capita | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.89 Kilograms per capita | 8.19 Kilograms per capita | 13.76 Kilograms per capita | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.87 Kilograms per capita | 7.2 Kilograms per capita | 12.91 Kilograms per capita | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.71 Kilograms per capita | 7.5 Kilograms per capita | 11.69 Kilograms per capita | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.92 Kilograms per capita | 9.13 Kilograms per capita | 15.61 Kilograms per capita | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0227 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,476 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5855 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1228 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertilizer use per capita in Australia?
- Fertilizer use per capita in Australia was 9.82 Kilograms per capita 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 per capita recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 15.61 Kilograms per capita in 2021.
- What is the lowest fertilizer use per capita recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.53 Kilograms per capita in 1962.
- How does Australia rank for fertilizer use per capita?
- Australia ranks 16th out of 205 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertilizer use per capita rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia 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 per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Fertilizer use is the sum of synthetic inputs of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous, plus organic nitrogen inputs. This is given in kilograms per person per year.