Fertilizer use per capita in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Fertilizer use per capita was 3.4 Kilograms per capita in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
3.4 Kilograms per capita
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
47th
of 205 countries
All-time high
5.31 Kilograms per capita
in 2020
All-time low
0.86 Kilograms per capita
in 2016
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Fertilizer use per capita in Sri Lanka, 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
In 2023, fertilizer use per capita in Sri Lanka stood at 3.4 Kilograms per capita.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertilizer use per capita in Sri Lanka peaked at 5.31 Kilograms per capita in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.86 Kilograms per capita, in 2016.
Sri Lanka ranks 47th of 205 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Fertilizer use per capita in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Kilograms per capita | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.79 Kilograms per capita | — |
| 1962 | 2.66 Kilograms per capita | -4.7% |
| 1963 | 3.21 Kilograms per capita | +20.7% |
| 1964 | 2.47 Kilograms per capita | -23.1% |
| 1965 | 3.15 Kilograms per capita | +27.5% |
| 1966 | 3.44 Kilograms per capita | +9.2% |
| 1967 | 2.92 Kilograms per capita | -15.1% |
| 1968 | 3.71 Kilograms per capita | +27.1% |
| 1969 | 2.08 Kilograms per capita | -43.9% |
| 1970 | 2.72 Kilograms per capita | +30.8% |
| 1971 | 2.72 Kilograms per capita | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 2.44 Kilograms per capita | -10.3% |
| 1973 | 2.42 Kilograms per capita | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 2.35 Kilograms per capita | -2.9% |
| 1975 | 1.59 Kilograms per capita | -32.3% |
| 1976 | 2.07 Kilograms per capita | +30.2% |
| 1977 | 1.69 Kilograms per capita | -18.4% |
| 1978 | 2.12 Kilograms per capita | +25.4% |
| 1979 | 2.35 Kilograms per capita | +10.8% |
| 1980 | 3.1 Kilograms per capita | +31.9% |
| 1981 | 2.74 Kilograms per capita | -11.6% |
| 1982 | 2.94 Kilograms per capita | +7.3% |
| 1983 | 3.24 Kilograms per capita | +10.2% |
| 1984 | 3.44 Kilograms per capita | +6.2% |
| 1985 | 3.55 Kilograms per capita | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 3.45 Kilograms per capita | -2.8% |
| 1987 | 3.76 Kilograms per capita | +9.0% |
| 1988 | 3.86 Kilograms per capita | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 3.79 Kilograms per capita | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 3.03 Kilograms per capita | -20.1% |
| 1991 | 3.06 Kilograms per capita | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 3.05 Kilograms per capita | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 3.35 Kilograms per capita | +9.8% |
| 1994 | 3.4 Kilograms per capita | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 3.17 Kilograms per capita | -6.8% |
| 1996 | 3.27 Kilograms per capita | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 3.07 Kilograms per capita | -6.1% |
| 1998 | 3.31 Kilograms per capita | +7.8% |
| 1999 | 3.25 Kilograms per capita | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 3.06 Kilograms per capita | -5.8% |
| 2001 | 2.77 Kilograms per capita | -9.5% |
| 2002 | 3.11 Kilograms per capita | +12.3% |
| 2003 | 2.91 Kilograms per capita | -6.4% |
| 2004 | 3.03 Kilograms per capita | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 3.09 Kilograms per capita | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 3.92 Kilograms per capita | +26.9% |
| 2007 | 3.79 Kilograms per capita | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 4.63 Kilograms per capita | +22.2% |
| 2009 | 3.63 Kilograms per capita | -21.6% |
| 2010 | 2.78 Kilograms per capita | -23.4% |
| 2011 | 2.98 Kilograms per capita | +7.2% |
| 2012 | 1.92 Kilograms per capita | -35.6% |
| 2013 | 2.55 Kilograms per capita | +32.8% |
| 2014 | 2.29 Kilograms per capita | -10.2% |
| 2015 | 2.65 Kilograms per capita | +15.7% |
| 2016 | 0.86 Kilograms per capita | -67.5% |
| 2017 | 1.17 Kilograms per capita | +36.0% |
| 2018 | 3.59 Kilograms per capita | +206.8% |
| 2019 | 3.44 Kilograms per capita | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 5.31 Kilograms per capita | +54.4% |
| 2021 | 3.44 Kilograms per capita | -35.2% |
| 2022 | 3.42 Kilograms per capita | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 3.4 Kilograms per capita | -0.6% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 3.4 Kilograms per capita is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.94 Kilograms per capita, 3.6× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 3.4 Kilograms per capita is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.765 Kilograms per capita, 4.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fertilizer use per capita in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +206.8% | 1.17 Kilograms per capita | 3.59 Kilograms per capita |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.94 Kilograms per capita | 2.08 Kilograms per capita | 3.71 Kilograms per capita | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.25 Kilograms per capita | 1.59 Kilograms per capita | 2.72 Kilograms per capita | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.39 Kilograms per capita | 2.74 Kilograms per capita | 3.86 Kilograms per capita | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.2 Kilograms per capita | 3.03 Kilograms per capita | 3.4 Kilograms per capita | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.39 Kilograms per capita | 2.77 Kilograms per capita | 4.63 Kilograms per capita | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.42 Kilograms per capita | 0.86 Kilograms per capita | 3.59 Kilograms per capita | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.89 Kilograms per capita | 3.4 Kilograms per capita | 5.31 Kilograms per capita | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 44 France 3.69 Kilograms per capita compare
- 44 Russia 3.69 Kilograms per capita compare
- 46 Israel 3.6 Kilograms per capita compare
- 48 Panama 3.27 Kilograms per capita compare
- 48 South Africa 3.27 Kilograms per capita compare
- 50 Bangladesh 3.23 Kilograms per capita compare
- 50 Nicaragua 3.23 Kilograms per capita compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertilizer use per capita in Sri Lanka?
- Fertilizer use per capita in Sri Lanka was 3.4 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 5.31 Kilograms per capita in 2020.
- What is the lowest fertilizer use per capita recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.86 Kilograms per capita in 2016.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for fertilizer use per capita?
- Sri Lanka ranks 47th out of 205 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertilizer use per capita rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.