Fertilizer consumption in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Fertilizer consumption was 906,172 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
906,172 tonnes
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
29th
of 201 countries
All-time high
2.05 million tonnes
in 1986
All-time low
906,172 tonnes
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Fertilizer consumption in United Kingdom, 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 Kingdom recorded 906,172 tonnes for fertilizer consumption in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 20.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertilizer consumption in United Kingdom peaked at 2.05 million tonnes in 1986 and was at its lowest, 906,172 tonnes, in 2023.
That places United Kingdom 29th out of 201 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Fertilizer consumption in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.05 million tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 1.06 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1963 | 1.13 million tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1964 | 1.13 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1965 | 1.18 million tonnes | +4.6% |
| 1966 | 1.26 million tonnes | +7.3% |
| 1967 | 1.44 million tonnes | +13.5% |
| 1968 | 1.37 million tonnes | -4.8% |
| 1969 | 1.23 million tonnes | -10.1% |
| 1970 | 1.43 million tonnes | +16.6% |
| 1971 | 1.48 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1972 | 1.31 million tonnes | -11.3% |
| 1973 | 1.42 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 1974 | 1.29 million tonnes | -9.3% |
| 1975 | 1.40 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 1976 | 1.48 million tonnes | +6.0% |
| 1977 | 1.54 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1978 | 1.59 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1979 | 1.72 million tonnes | +7.8% |
| 1980 | 1.58 million tonnes | -8.0% |
| 1981 | 1.77 million tonnes | +12.0% |
| 1982 | 1.96 million tonnes | +10.8% |
| 1983 | 2.02 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 2.00 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 1985 | 1.94 million tonnes | -2.7% |
| 1986 | 2.05 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1987 | 1.92 million tonnes | -6.3% |
| 1988 | 1.90 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1989 | 1.94 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 1.85 million tonnes | -4.8% |
| 1991 | 1.68 million tonnes | -9.2% |
| 1992 | 1.55 million tonnes | -7.9% |
| 1993 | 1.60 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 1.71 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1995 | 1.69 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 1.83 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 1997 | 1.75 million tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1998 | 1.61 million tonnes | -8.1% |
| 1999 | 1.54 million tonnes | -3.9% |
| 2000 | 1.36 million tonnes | -11.6% |
| 2001 | 1.45 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 2002 | 1.45 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.38 million tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2004 | 1.38 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 1.29 million tonnes | -5.9% |
| 2006 | 1.21 million tonnes | -6.4% |
| 2007 | 1.20 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 1.20 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 1.00 million tonnes | -15.9% |
| 2010 | 1.13 million tonnes | +12.5% |
| 2011 | 1.16 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 1.13 million tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 1.14 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 1.20 million tonnes | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 1.18 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 1.16 million tonnes | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 1.18 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 1.15 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 1.16 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 1.09 million tonnes | -6.5% |
| 2021 | 1.13 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 914,344 tonnes | -19.1% |
| 2023 | 906,172 tonnes | -0.9% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 906,172 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 101,624 tonnes, 8.9× the median. (67 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 906,172 tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 148,704 tonnes, 6.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.21 million tonnes | 1.05 million tonnes | 1.44 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.47 million tonnes | 1.29 million tonnes | 1.72 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.91 million tonnes | 1.58 million tonnes | 2.05 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.68 million tonnes | 1.54 million tonnes | 1.85 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.29 million tonnes | 1.00 million tonnes | 1.45 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.16 million tonnes | 1.13 million tonnes | 1.20 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.01 million tonnes | 906,172 tonnes | 1.13 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More agriculture & rural data for United Kingdom
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0064 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 368.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1852 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1668 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertilizer consumption in United Kingdom?
- Fertilizer consumption in United Kingdom was 906,172 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 2.05 million tonnes in 1986.
- What is the lowest fertilizer consumption recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 906,172 tonnes in 2023.
- How does United Kingdom rank for fertilizer consumption?
- United Kingdom ranks 29th out of 201 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertilizer consumption rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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).