Fertilizer consumption in South Korea

South Korea: Fertilizer consumption was 381,931 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
381,931 tonnes
Change on year
down 11.1%
World rank
38th
of 200 countries
All-time high
991,976 tonnes
in 1997
All-time low
315,020 tonnes
in 1962
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Fertilizer consumption in South Korea, 1961–2023

400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M196119922023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

In 2023, fertilizer consumption in South Korea stood at 381,931 tonnes.

The figure is down 11.1% on the previous year and down 25.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fertilizer consumption in South Korea peaked at 991,976 tonnes in 1997 and was at its lowest, 315,020 tonnes, in 1962.

South Korea ranks 38th of 200 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 399,660 tonnes 315,020 tonnes 534,604 tonnes 9
1970s 738,117 tonnes 562,895 tonnes 870,913 tonnes 10
1980s 818,529 tonnes 614,106 tonnes 978,037 tonnes 10
1990s 935,088 tonnes 821,090 tonnes 991,976 tonnes 10
2000s 662,849 tonnes 476,513 tonnes 785,597 tonnes 10
2010s 505,342 tonnes 493,633 tonnes 535,556 tonnes 10
2020s 400,416 tonnes 378,040 tonnes 429,582 tonnes 4

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 35 Turkmenistan 552,747 tonnes compare
  2. 36 Bulgaria 447,316 tonnes compare
  3. 37 Saudi Arabia 419,940 tonnes compare
  4. 39 Hungary 371,011 tonnes compare
  5. 40 Peru 366,278 tonnes compare
  6. 41 Serbia 358,717 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 201 places →

More agriculture & rural data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is fertilizer consumption in South Korea?
Fertilizer consumption in South Korea was 381,931 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 South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 991,976 tonnes in 1997.
What is the lowest fertilizer consumption recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 315,020 tonnes in 1962.
How does South Korea rank for fertilizer consumption?
South Korea ranks 38th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
Is fertilizer consumption rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Korea 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

Indicator
Fertilizer consumption
Unit
tonnes
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
201 places, 10,286 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Agricultural use from all fertilizer products (including nitrogenous, potash, and phosphate fertilizers).