Fertilizer consumption in Australia
Australia: Fertilizer consumption was 2.68 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2.68 million tonnes
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
14th
of 201 countries
All-time high
3.08 million tonnes
in 2021
All-time low
468,945 tonnes
in 1962
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Fertilizer consumption in Australia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Australia recorded 2.68 million tonnes for fertilizer consumption in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.1% on the previous year and up 44.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertilizer consumption in Australia peaked at 3.08 million tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 468,945 tonnes, in 1962.
That places Australia 14th out of 201 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 consumption in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 481,360 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 468,945 tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1963 | 544,271 tonnes | +16.1% |
| 1964 | 698,839 tonnes | +28.4% |
| 1965 | 780,639 tonnes | +11.7% |
| 1966 | 813,740 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1967 | 797,127 tonnes | -2.0% |
| 1968 | 834,654 tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1969 | 766,128 tonnes | -8.2% |
| 1970 | 713,581 tonnes | -6.9% |
| 1971 | 780,753 tonnes | +9.4% |
| 1972 | 958,733 tonnes | +22.8% |
| 1973 | 1.12 million tonnes | +16.8% |
| 1974 | 654,967 tonnes | -41.5% |
| 1975 | 566,239 tonnes | -13.5% |
| 1976 | 785,983 tonnes | +38.8% |
| 1977 | 794,179 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 902,160 tonnes | +13.6% |
| 1979 | 966,240 tonnes | +7.1% |
| 1980 | 927,683 tonnes | -4.0% |
| 1981 | 915,569 tonnes | -1.3% |
| 1982 | 871,798 tonnes | -4.8% |
| 1983 | 910,651 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1984 | 961,674 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1985 | 893,630 tonnes | -7.1% |
| 1986 | 920,660 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1987 | 1.06 million tonnes | +15.2% |
| 1988 | 1.08 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 1.08 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 920,600 tonnes | -15.1% |
| 1991 | 1.01 million tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1992 | 1.11 million tonnes | +9.9% |
| 1993 | 1.19 million tonnes | +7.5% |
| 1994 | 1.35 million tonnes | +13.3% |
| 1995 | 1.47 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1996 | 1.60 million tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1997 | 1.73 million tonnes | +7.9% |
| 1998 | 1.80 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1999 | 1.89 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2000 | 1.81 million tonnes | -4.3% |
| 2001 | 1.96 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 2002 | 1.80 million tonnes | -8.1% |
| 2003 | 1.73 million tonnes | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 1.94 million tonnes | +12.1% |
| 2005 | 1.76 million tonnes | -9.1% |
| 2006 | 1.65 million tonnes | -6.7% |
| 2007 | 1.64 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 1.50 million tonnes | -8.4% |
| 2009 | 1.34 million tonnes | -10.5% |
| 2010 | 1.59 million tonnes | +18.6% |
| 2011 | 1.75 million tonnes | +9.8% |
| 2012 | 1.78 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 1.86 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 2.09 million tonnes | +12.3% |
| 2015 | 2.01 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 2.19 million tonnes | +9.0% |
| 2017 | 2.25 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 2.17 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 2.10 million tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 2.60 million tonnes | +23.7% |
| 2021 | 3.08 million tonnes | +18.4% |
| 2022 | 2.74 million tonnes | -11.1% |
| 2023 | 2.68 million tonnes | -2.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 2.68 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 101,624 tonnes, 26.4× the median. (67 countries reporting)
- Australia's 2.68 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 33,674 tonnes, 79.7× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 687,300 tonnes | 468,945 tonnes | 834,654 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 824,220 tonnes | 566,239 tonnes | 1.12 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 962,298 tonnes | 871,798 tonnes | 1.08 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.41 million tonnes | 920,600 tonnes | 1.89 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.71 million tonnes | 1.34 million tonnes | 1.96 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.98 million tonnes | 1.59 million tonnes | 2.25 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.78 million tonnes | 2.60 million tonnes | 3.08 million tonnes | 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 consumption in Australia?
- Fertilizer consumption in Australia was 2.68 million 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 consumption recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.08 million tonnes in 2021.
- What is the lowest fertilizer consumption recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 468,945 tonnes in 1962.
- How does Australia rank for fertilizer consumption?
- Australia ranks 14th out of 201 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertilizer consumption rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.5%. 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 consumption. 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
Agricultural use from all fertilizer products (including nitrogenous, potash, and phosphate fertilizers).