Fertilizer consumption in Canada
Canada: Fertilizer consumption was 4.72 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
4.72 million tonnes
Change on year
up 12.9%
World rank
8th
of 201 countries
All-time high
4.72 million tonnes
in 2023
All-time low
386,398 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Fertilizer consumption in Canada, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fertilizer consumption in Canada is 4.72 million tonnes, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 12.9% on the previous year and up 39.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertilizer consumption in Canada peaked at 4.72 million tonnes in 2023 and was at its lowest, 386,398 tonnes, in 1961.
That places Canada 8th 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 Canada, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 386,398 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 439,427 tonnes | +13.7% |
| 1963 | 479,136 tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1964 | 536,798 tonnes | +12.0% |
| 1965 | 664,912 tonnes | +23.9% |
| 1966 | 776,686 tonnes | +16.8% |
| 1967 | 845,600 tonnes | +8.9% |
| 1968 | 689,042 tonnes | -18.5% |
| 1969 | 692,939 tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 763,983 tonnes | +10.3% |
| 1971 | 834,840 tonnes | +9.3% |
| 1972 | 965,060 tonnes | +15.6% |
| 1973 | 1.15 million tonnes | +18.9% |
| 1974 | 1.18 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 1.24 million tonnes | +5.4% |
| 1976 | 1.26 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 1.54 million tonnes | +21.5% |
| 1978 | 1.69 million tonnes | +10.4% |
| 1979 | 1.71 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 1.83 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1981 | 1.83 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 1.94 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1983 | 2.20 million tonnes | +13.2% |
| 1984 | 2.32 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 1985 | 2.18 million tonnes | -5.7% |
| 1986 | 2.03 million tonnes | -7.1% |
| 1987 | 2.08 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1988 | 2.00 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 1989 | 2.03 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 1.94 million tonnes | -4.3% |
| 1991 | 2.03 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1992 | 2.11 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1993 | 2.20 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 2.23 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 2.39 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 1996 | 2.51 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1997 | 2.54 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 2.47 million tonnes | -2.9% |
| 1999 | 2.50 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 2.27 million tonnes | -9.2% |
| 2001 | 2.30 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 2.45 million tonnes | +6.5% |
| 2003 | 2.50 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 2.31 million tonnes | -7.7% |
| 2005 | 2.60 million tonnes | +12.7% |
| 2006 | 1.98 million tonnes | -24.1% |
| 2007 | 2.85 million tonnes | +44.0% |
| 2008 | 2.63 million tonnes | -7.7% |
| 2009 | 2.52 million tonnes | -4.0% |
| 2010 | 2.78 million tonnes | +10.3% |
| 2011 | 3.35 million tonnes | +20.4% |
| 2012 | 3.62 million tonnes | +8.0% |
| 2013 | 3.38 million tonnes | -6.4% |
| 2014 | 3.61 million tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2015 | 3.72 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 3.56 million tonnes | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 3.65 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 4.03 million tonnes | +10.3% |
| 2019 | 3.85 million tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2020 | 4.61 million tonnes | +19.9% |
| 2021 | 4.49 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 4.18 million tonnes | -7.1% |
| 2023 | 4.72 million tonnes | +12.9% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 4.72 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 101,624 tonnes, 46.4× the median. (67 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 612,326 tonnes | 386,398 tonnes | 845,600 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.23 million tonnes | 763,983 tonnes | 1.71 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.04 million tonnes | 1.83 million tonnes | 2.32 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.29 million tonnes | 1.94 million tonnes | 2.54 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.44 million tonnes | 1.98 million tonnes | 2.85 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.55 million tonnes | 2.78 million tonnes | 4.03 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.50 million tonnes | 4.18 million tonnes | 4.72 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More agriculture & rural data for Canada
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 31.61 % change on previous year (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0193 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,092 current US$ per person (2022)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.0803 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1712 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.9% (2022)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.9% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertilizer consumption in Canada?
- Fertilizer consumption in Canada was 4.72 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 4.72 million tonnes in 2023.
- What is the lowest fertilizer consumption recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 386,398 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Canada rank for fertilizer consumption?
- Canada ranks 8th out of 201 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertilizer consumption rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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).