Nitrogen fertilizer use in Australia
Australia: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 2.15 million tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Australia, 1961–2023
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 nitrogen fertilizer use in Australia is 2.15 million tonnes, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.9% on the previous year and up 76.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in Australia peaked at 2.15 million tonnes in 2023 and was at its lowest, 35,017 tonnes, in 1961.
Australia ranks 10th of 201 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 84,914 tonnes | 35,017 tonnes | 140,386 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 177,583 tonnes | 123,381 tonnes | 245,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 327,350 tonnes | 248,000 tonnes | 440,300 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 693,480 tonnes | 439,400 tonnes | 1.08 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 928,979 tonnes | 835,018 tonnes | 1.06 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.29 million tonnes | 981,787 tonnes | 1.49 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.99 million tonnes | 1.81 million tonnes | 2.15 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 40.76 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 2.3% (2025)
- Rural population 3.39 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Rural population 12.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.3% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.3% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 19.46 million hectares (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use in Australia?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use in Australia was 2.15 million 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 nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.15 million tonnes in 2023.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 35,017 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Australia rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- Australia ranks 10th out of 201 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 76.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia 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 Nitrogen fertilizer use. 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
Measures total nitrogen inputs, including synthetic fertilizers alongside organic inputs from manure and crop fixation. Measured in tonnes of nitrogen.