Fertilizer consumption in USSR

USSR: Fertilizer consumption was 19.47 million tonnes in 1991. ▲ Rising

Latest (1991)
19.47 million tonnes
Change on year
down 10.0%
World rank
3rd
of 201 countries
All-time high
27.40 million tonnes
in 1987
All-time low
2.71 million tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
31
1961–1991

Fertilizer consumption in USSR, 1961–1991

5.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M25.0M1961197619911961: 2.7M tonnes1962: 3.1M tonnes1963: 3.6M tonnes1964: 5.0M tonnes1965: 6.3M tonnes1966: 7.0M tonnes1967: 7.7M tonnes1968: 8.2M tonnes1969: 8.9M tonnes1970: 10.3M tonnes1971: 11.3M tonnes1972: 12.4M tonnes1973: 13.5M tonnes1974: 14.7M tonnes1975: 17.2M tonnes1976: 17.7M tonnes1977: 18.0M tonnes1978: 18.4M tonnes1979: 17.4M tonnes1980: 18.8M tonnes1981: 19.2M tonnes1982: 20.1M tonnes1983: 23.0M tonnes1984: 23.1M tonnes1985: 25.4M tonnes1986: 26.5M tonnes1987: 27.4M tonnes1988: 27.2M tonnes1989: 24.5M tonnes1990: 21.6M tonnes1991: 19.5M tonnes

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 USSR is 19.47 million tonnes, measured in 1991.

That represents a change of down 10.0% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fertilizer consumption in USSR peaked at 27.40 million tonnes in 1987 and was at its lowest, 2.71 million tonnes, in 1961.

That places USSR 3rd out of 201 countries with data for 1991, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Fertilizer consumption in USSR, year by year

Annual values for Fertilizer consumption in USSR, 1961 to 1991.
Year tonnes Change
1961 2.71 million tonnes
1962 3.08 million tonnes +13.8%
1963 3.58 million tonnes +16.2%
1964 5.03 million tonnes +40.4%
1965 6.29 million tonnes +25.2%
1966 6.98 million tonnes +11.0%
1967 7.74 million tonnes +10.8%
1968 8.24 million tonnes +6.6%
1969 8.88 million tonnes +7.7%
1970 10.31 million tonnes +16.1%
1971 11.35 million tonnes +10.0%
1972 12.36 million tonnes +8.9%
1973 13.46 million tonnes +8.9%
1974 14.74 million tonnes +9.5%
1975 17.24 million tonnes +17.0%
1976 17.73 million tonnes +2.8%
1977 18.03 million tonnes +1.7%
1978 18.41 million tonnes +2.1%
1979 17.36 million tonnes -5.7%
1980 18.76 million tonnes +8.1%
1981 19.17 million tonnes +2.2%
1982 20.14 million tonnes +5.1%
1983 22.97 million tonnes +14.0%
1984 23.09 million tonnes +0.5%
1985 25.39 million tonnes +10.0%
1986 26.51 million tonnes +4.4%
1987 27.40 million tonnes +3.4%
1988 27.19 million tonnes -0.8%
1989 24.47 million tonnes -10.0%
1990 21.64 million tonnes -11.6%
1991 19.47 million tonnes -10.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 5.84 million tonnes 2.71 million tonnes 8.88 million tonnes 9
1970s 15.10 million tonnes 10.31 million tonnes 18.41 million tonnes 10
1980s 23.51 million tonnes 18.76 million tonnes 27.40 million tonnes 10
1990s 20.55 million tonnes 19.47 million tonnes 21.64 million tonnes 2

Countries ranked near USSR

  1. 1 China 42.72 million tonnes compare
  2. 2 India 30.64 million tonnes compare
  3. 4 Brazil 18.09 million tonnes compare
  4. 5 United States 16.66 million tonnes compare
  5. 6 Indonesia 5.53 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 201 places →

More agriculture & rural data for USSR

All data for USSR →

Frequently asked questions

What is fertilizer consumption in USSR?
Fertilizer consumption in USSR was 19.47 million tonnes in 1991, 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 USSR?
The highest recorded value was 27.40 million tonnes in 1987.
What is the lowest fertilizer consumption recorded in USSR?
The lowest recorded value was 2.71 million tonnes in 1961.
How does USSR rank for fertilizer consumption?
USSR ranks 3rd out of 201 countries with data for 1991.
Is fertilizer consumption rising or falling in USSR?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this USSR 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.

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Fertilizer consumption in USSR. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/fertilizer-total-use/ussr/

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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).