Fertilizer use by nutrient in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Fertilizer use by nutrient was 32,285 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Fertilizer use by nutrient in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 32,285 tonnes for fertilizer use by nutrient in 2023. That is the highest value across all 61 years on record.
That represents a change of up 46.7% on the previous year and up 355.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertilizer use by nutrient in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 32,285 tonnes in 2023 and was at its lowest, 72 tonnes, in 1961.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 105th out of 202 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Fertilizer use by nutrient in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 72 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 659 tonnes | +815.3% |
| 1963 | 667 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1964 | 1,000 tonnes | +49.9% |
| 1965 | 700 tonnes | -30.0% |
| 1966 | 1,000 tonnes | +42.9% |
| 1967 | 1,500 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 1968 | 2,000 tonnes | +33.3% |
| 1969 | 2,500 tonnes | +25.0% |
| 1970 | 3,000 tonnes | +20.0% |
| 1971 | 2,800 tonnes | -6.7% |
| 1972 | 2,477 tonnes | -11.5% |
| 1973 | 3,200 tonnes | +29.2% |
| 1974 | 3,100 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 1975 | 4,968 tonnes | +60.3% |
| 1976 | 6,164 tonnes | +24.1% |
| 1977 | 4,500 tonnes | -27.0% |
| 1978 | 4,700 tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1979 | 5,100 tonnes | +8.5% |
| 1980 | 3,700 tonnes | -27.5% |
| 1981 | 2,500 tonnes | -32.4% |
| 1982 | 3,109 tonnes | +24.4% |
| 1983 | 4,107 tonnes | +32.1% |
| 1984 | 4,500 tonnes | +9.6% |
| 1985 | 3,600 tonnes | -20.0% |
| 1986 | 966 tonnes | -73.2% |
| 1987 | 3,100 tonnes | +220.9% |
| 1988 | 1,900 tonnes | -38.7% |
| 1989 | 4,000 tonnes | +110.5% |
| 1990 | 4,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 4,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1,000 tonnes | -75.0% |
| 1993 | 3,000 tonnes | +200.0% |
| 1994 | 3,468 tonnes | +15.6% |
| 1995 | 3,000 tonnes | -13.5% |
| 1996 | 2,000 tonnes | -33.3% |
| 1998 | 1,713 tonnes | -14.3% |
| 1999 | 315 tonnes | -81.6% |
| 2000 | 300 tonnes | -4.8% |
| 2001 | 1,297 tonnes | +332.3% |
| 2003 | 1,075 tonnes | -17.1% |
| 2004 | 795 tonnes | -26.0% |
| 2005 | 376 tonnes | -52.7% |
| 2006 | 1,627 tonnes | +332.7% |
| 2007 | 2,943 tonnes | +80.9% |
| 2008 | 4,314 tonnes | +46.6% |
| 2009 | 2,930 tonnes | -32.1% |
| 2010 | 4,676 tonnes | +59.6% |
| 2011 | 3,514 tonnes | -24.9% |
| 2012 | 3,445 tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 7,084 tonnes | +105.6% |
| 2014 | 15,181 tonnes | +114.3% |
| 2015 | 18,245 tonnes | +20.2% |
| 2016 | 11,313 tonnes | -38.0% |
| 2017 | 16,044 tonnes | +41.8% |
| 2018 | 19,691 tonnes | +22.7% |
| 2019 | 27,395 tonnes | +39.1% |
| 2020 | 23,689 tonnes | -13.5% |
| 2021 | 23,689 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 22,010 tonnes | -7.1% |
| 2023 | 32,285 tonnes | +46.7% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 32,285 tonnes is above the median for low income countries, which is 14,884 tonnes, 2.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 32,285 tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 15,117 tonnes, 2.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fertilizer use by nutrient in Democratic Republic of Congo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | +815.3% | 72 tonnes | 659 tonnes |
| 2006 | +332.7% | 376 tonnes | 1,627 tonnes |
| 2001 | +332.3% | 300 tonnes | 1,297 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,122 tonnes | 72 tonnes | 2,500 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 4,001 tonnes | 2,477 tonnes | 6,164 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 3,148 tonnes | 966 tonnes | 4,500 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,500 tonnes | 315 tonnes | 4,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 2000s | 1,740 tonnes | 300 tonnes | 4,314 tonnes | 9 |
| 2010s | 12,659 tonnes | 3,445 tonnes | 27,395 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 25,418 tonnes | 22,010 tonnes | 32,285 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 102 El Salvador 37,283 tonnes compare
- 103 Afghanistan 35,723 tonnes compare
- 104 Jordan 35,494 tonnes compare
- 106 Israel 29,329 tonnes compare
- 107 Togo 26,555 tonnes compare
- 108 Papua New Guinea 25,216 tonnes compare
More agriculture & rural data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0893 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 72.04 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0007 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5489 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertilizer use by nutrient in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Fertilizer use by nutrient in Democratic Republic of Congo was 32,285 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 use by nutrient recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 32,285 tonnes in 2023.
- What is the lowest fertilizer use by nutrient recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 72 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for fertilizer use by nutrient?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 105th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertilizer use by nutrient rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 355.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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 use by nutrient. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Fertilizer use in the agricultural sector, which includes use for crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture.