Fertilizer use by nutrient in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Fertilizer use by nutrient was 119,230 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
119,230 tonnes
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
64th
of 202 countries
All-time high
239,289 tonnes
in 2020
All-time low
36,087 tonnes
in 1963
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Fertilizer use by nutrient in Sri Lanka, 1961–2023
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 use by nutrient in Sri Lanka stood at 119,230 tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertilizer use by nutrient in Sri Lanka peaked at 239,289 tonnes in 2020 and was at its lowest, 36,087 tonnes, in 1963.
Sri Lanka ranks 64th of 202 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Fertilizer use by nutrient in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 36,442 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 45,468 tonnes | +24.8% |
| 1963 | 36,087 tonnes | -20.6% |
| 1964 | 38,477 tonnes | +6.6% |
| 1965 | 42,479 tonnes | +10.4% |
| 1966 | 45,000 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1967 | 43,454 tonnes | -3.4% |
| 1968 | 55,829 tonnes | +28.5% |
| 1969 | 49,000 tonnes | -12.2% |
| 1970 | 51,000 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1971 | 57,000 tonnes | +11.8% |
| 1972 | 51,200 tonnes | -10.2% |
| 1973 | 56,800 tonnes | +10.9% |
| 1974 | 55,300 tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1975 | 40,100 tonnes | -27.5% |
| 1976 | 52,300 tonnes | +30.4% |
| 1977 | 65,400 tonnes | +25.0% |
| 1978 | 80,900 tonnes | +23.7% |
| 1979 | 77,200 tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1980 | 91,600 tonnes | +18.7% |
| 1981 | 78,500 tonnes | -14.3% |
| 1982 | 79,400 tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 83,009 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1984 | 100,313 tonnes | +20.8% |
| 1985 | 101,727 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 99,261 tonnes | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 103,908 tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1988 | 106,000 tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 108,531 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 92,406 tonnes | -14.9% |
| 1991 | 95,824 tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 102,196 tonnes | +6.6% |
| 1993 | 115,061 tonnes | +12.6% |
| 1994 | 123,800 tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1995 | 115,924 tonnes | -6.4% |
| 1996 | 117,568 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 122,494 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1998 | 142,226 tonnes | +16.1% |
| 1999 | 163,798 tonnes | +15.2% |
| 2000 | 157,473 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 158,448 tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 188,317 tonnes | +18.9% |
| 2003 | 150,656 tonnes | -20.0% |
| 2004 | 163,234 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 2005 | 181,556 tonnes | +11.2% |
| 2006 | 175,249 tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 161,607 tonnes | -7.8% |
| 2008 | 209,393 tonnes | +29.6% |
| 2009 | 181,732 tonnes | -13.2% |
| 2010 | 166,096 tonnes | -8.6% |
| 2011 | 209,380 tonnes | +26.1% |
| 2012 | 164,272 tonnes | -21.5% |
| 2013 | 127,752 tonnes | -22.2% |
| 2014 | 227,849 tonnes | +78.4% |
| 2015 | 150,060 tonnes | -34.1% |
| 2016 | 117,777 tonnes | -21.5% |
| 2017 | 109,730 tonnes | -6.8% |
| 2018 | 68,830 tonnes | -37.3% |
| 2019 | 143,690 tonnes | +108.8% |
| 2020 | 239,289 tonnes | +66.5% |
| 2021 | 119,230 tonnes | -50.2% |
| 2022 | 119,230 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 119,230 tonnes | +0.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 119,230 tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 54,228 tonnes, 2.2× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 119,230 tonnes is above the median for South Asia, which is 99,610 tonnes, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fertilizer use by nutrient in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +108.8% | 68,830 tonnes | 143,690 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 43,582 tonnes | 36,087 tonnes | 55,829 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 58,720 tonnes | 40,100 tonnes | 80,900 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 95,225 tonnes | 78,500 tonnes | 108,531 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 119,130 tonnes | 92,406 tonnes | 163,798 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 172,766 tonnes | 150,656 tonnes | 209,393 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 148,544 tonnes | 68,830 tonnes | 227,849 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 149,245 tonnes | 119,230 tonnes | 239,289 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertilizer use by nutrient in Sri Lanka?
- Fertilizer use by nutrient in Sri Lanka was 119,230 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 239,289 tonnes in 2020.
- What is the lowest fertilizer use by nutrient recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 36,087 tonnes in 1963.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for fertilizer use by nutrient?
- Sri Lanka ranks 64th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertilizer use by nutrient rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 — 63 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.