Fertilizer use by nutrient in Switzerland
Switzerland: Fertilizer use by nutrient was 39,888 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Fertilizer use by nutrient in Switzerland, 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 Switzerland stood at 39,888 tonnes.
The figure is up 12.7% on the previous year and down 18.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertilizer use by nutrient in Switzerland peaked at 72,600 tonnes in 1987 and was at its lowest, 16,000 tonnes, in 1961.
Switzerland ranks 99th 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 Switzerland, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 16,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 23,720 tonnes | +48.2% |
| 1963 | 22,945 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 1964 | 21,500 tonnes | -6.3% |
| 1965 | 25,300 tonnes | +17.7% |
| 1966 | 30,800 tonnes | +21.7% |
| 1967 | 31,700 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1968 | 33,100 tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1969 | 34,700 tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1970 | 36,700 tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1971 | 37,200 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1972 | 39,300 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1973 | 41,500 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1974 | 37,900 tonnes | -8.7% |
| 1975 | 44,300 tonnes | +16.9% |
| 1976 | 50,600 tonnes | +14.2% |
| 1977 | 55,000 tonnes | +8.7% |
| 1978 | 63,500 tonnes | +15.5% |
| 1979 | 64,500 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 65,600 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 62,900 tonnes | -4.1% |
| 1982 | 60,200 tonnes | -4.3% |
| 1983 | 67,400 tonnes | +12.0% |
| 1984 | 70,700 tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1985 | 71,900 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 71,100 tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 72,600 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 71,600 tonnes | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 70,300 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 63,400 tonnes | -9.8% |
| 1991 | 63,000 tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 64,000 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 63,000 tonnes | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 63,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 65,000 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 62,000 tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1997 | 60,000 tonnes | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 59,000 tonnes | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 53,000 tonnes | -10.2% |
| 2000 | 48,371 tonnes | -8.7% |
| 2001 | 55,359 tonnes | +14.4% |
| 2002 | 40,542 tonnes | -26.8% |
| 2003 | 43,182 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 2004 | 45,864 tonnes | +6.2% |
| 2005 | 53,275 tonnes | +16.2% |
| 2006 | 53,171 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 48,587 tonnes | -8.6% |
| 2008 | 52,896 tonnes | +8.9% |
| 2009 | 51,055 tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 50,829 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 46,548 tonnes | -8.4% |
| 2012 | 39,349 tonnes | -15.5% |
| 2013 | 48,830 tonnes | +24.1% |
| 2014 | 49,155 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 49,731 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 52,561 tonnes | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 48,560 tonnes | -7.6% |
| 2018 | 44,550 tonnes | -8.3% |
| 2019 | 38,148 tonnes | -14.4% |
| 2020 | 43,129 tonnes | +13.1% |
| 2021 | 43,559 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 35,379 tonnes | -18.8% |
| 2023 | 39,888 tonnes | +12.7% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 39,888 tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 83,582 tonnes, 48% of the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 39,888 tonnes is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 107,185 tonnes, 37% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fertilizer use by nutrient in Switzerland 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 | +48.2% | 16,000 tonnes | 23,720 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 26,641 tonnes | 16,000 tonnes | 34,700 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 47,050 tonnes | 36,700 tonnes | 64,500 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 68,430 tonnes | 60,200 tonnes | 72,600 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 61,540 tonnes | 53,000 tonnes | 65,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 49,230 tonnes | 40,542 tonnes | 55,359 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 46,826 tonnes | 38,148 tonnes | 52,561 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 40,489 tonnes | 35,379 tonnes | 43,559 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More agriculture & rural data for Switzerland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0064 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 739.83 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.8806 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1427 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 0.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertilizer use by nutrient in Switzerland?
- Fertilizer use by nutrient in Switzerland was 39,888 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 72,600 tonnes in 1987.
- What is the lowest fertilizer use by nutrient recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 16,000 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Switzerland rank for fertilizer use by nutrient?
- Switzerland ranks 99th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertilizer use by nutrient rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.