Fertilizer production by nutrient type in United States
United States: Fertilizer production by nutrient type was 339,359 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Fertilizer production by nutrient type in United States, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
United States recorded 339,359 tonnes for fertilizer production by nutrient type in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 58.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertilizer production by nutrient type in United States peaked at 2.81 million tonnes in 1966 and was at its lowest, 339,359 tonnes, in 2022.
That places United States 12th out of 197 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Fertilizer production by nutrient type in United States, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.33 million tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 2.33 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1963 | 2.51 million tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1964 | 2.52 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 2.59 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1966 | 2.81 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 1967 | 2.46 million tonnes | -12.6% |
| 1968 | 2.49 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 2.21 million tonnes | -11.4% |
| 1970 | 2.26 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1971 | 2.21 million tonnes | -2.3% |
| 1972 | 2.44 million tonnes | +10.6% |
| 1973 | 2.36 million tonnes | -3.2% |
| 1974 | 2.08 million tonnes | -12.2% |
| 1975 | 2.10 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 2.34 million tonnes | +11.7% |
| 1977 | 1.98 million tonnes | -15.7% |
| 1978 | 2.29 million tonnes | +15.7% |
| 1979 | 2.25 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1980 | 2.05 million tonnes | -8.6% |
| 1981 | 1.64 million tonnes | -20.3% |
| 1982 | 1.69 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 1.50 million tonnes | -11.1% |
| 1984 | 1.28 million tonnes | -14.5% |
| 1985 | 954,000 tonnes | -25.6% |
| 1986 | 1.21 million tonnes | +26.5% |
| 1987 | 1.29 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1988 | 1.11 million tonnes | -13.8% |
| 1989 | 1.01 million tonnes | -9.5% |
| 1990 | 1.01 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 938,000 tonnes | -6.9% |
| 1992 | 938,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 842,000 tonnes | -10.2% |
| 1994 | 827,000 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 843,000 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 834,000 tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 1.44 million tonnes | +72.1% |
| 1998 | 902,658 tonnes | -37.1% |
| 1999 | 865,463 tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2000 | 810,124 tonnes | -6.4% |
| 2001 | 708,834 tonnes | -12.5% |
| 2002 | 822,800 tonnes | +16.1% |
| 2003 | 660,000 tonnes | -19.8% |
| 2004 | 793,000 tonnes | +20.2% |
| 2005 | 1.20 million tonnes | +51.3% |
| 2006 | 1.10 million tonnes | -8.3% |
| 2007 | 1.10 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 817,926 tonnes | -25.6% |
| 2009 | 524,812 tonnes | -35.8% |
| 2010 | 749,070 tonnes | +42.7% |
| 2011 | 825,002 tonnes | +10.1% |
| 2012 | 799,779 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 826,279 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 790,679 tonnes | -4.3% |
| 2015 | 617,679 tonnes | -21.9% |
| 2016 | 465,579 tonnes | -24.6% |
| 2017 | 391,379 tonnes | -15.9% |
| 2018 | 378,479 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 369,839 tonnes | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 349,199 tonnes | -5.6% |
| 2021 | 349,019 tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 339,359 tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 339,359 tonnes | +0.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fertilizer production by nutrient type in United States 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +72.1% | 834,000 tonnes | 1.44 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.47 million tonnes | 2.21 million tonnes | 2.81 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.23 million tonnes | 1.98 million tonnes | 2.44 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.37 million tonnes | 954,000 tonnes | 2.05 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 943,338 tonnes | 827,000 tonnes | 1.44 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 853,750 tonnes | 524,812 tonnes | 1.20 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 621,376 tonnes | 369,839 tonnes | 826,279 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 344,234 tonnes | 339,359 tonnes | 349,199 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More agriculture & rural data for United States
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.96 % change on previous year (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0094 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 673.66 current US$ per person (2021)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.1831 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1981 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.9% (2021)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.9% (2021)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertilizer production by nutrient type in United States?
- Fertilizer production by nutrient type in United States was 339,359 tonnes 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 production by nutrient type recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 2.81 million tonnes in 1966.
- What is the lowest fertilizer production by nutrient type recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 339,359 tonnes in 2022.
- How does United States rank for fertilizer production by nutrient type?
- United States ranks 12th out of 197 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertilizer production by nutrient type rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 58.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States 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 production by nutrient type. 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
Total fertilizer production by nutrient type (nitrogen, phosphate and potash), measured in tonnes of nutrient.