Nitrogen fertilizer use in Belgium
Belgium: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 106,686 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Belgium, 2002–2023
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 Belgium is 106,686 tonnes, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.0% on the previous year and down 36.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in Belgium peaked at 177,198 tonnes in 2015 and was at its lowest, 106,686 tonnes, in 2023.
That places Belgium 67th out of 202 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Belgium, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 151,095 tonnes | — |
| 2003 | 153,095 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 146,645 tonnes | -4.2% |
| 2005 | 144,770 tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 139,966 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 152,688 tonnes | +9.1% |
| 2008 | 136,671 tonnes | -10.5% |
| 2009 | 155,616 tonnes | +13.9% |
| 2010 | 171,234 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 2011 | 166,554 tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 165,325 tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 167,414 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 175,892 tonnes | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 177,198 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 160,883 tonnes | -9.2% |
| 2017 | 152,461 tonnes | -5.2% |
| 2018 | 152,371 tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 153,353 tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 149,878 tonnes | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 155,829 tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 110,004 tonnes | -29.4% |
| 2023 | 106,686 tonnes | -3.0% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 106,686 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 83,582 tonnes, 1.3× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 106,686 tonnes is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 107,185 tonnes, 100% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nitrogen fertilizer use in Belgium 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -29.4% | 155,829 tonnes | 110,004 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 147,568 tonnes | 136,671 tonnes | 155,616 tonnes | 8 |
| 2010s | 164,268 tonnes | 152,371 tonnes | 177,198 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 130,599 tonnes | 106,686 tonnes | 155,829 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More agriculture & rural data for Belgium
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -0.3325 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0073 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 443.58 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2138 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1233 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use in Belgium?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use in Belgium was 106,686 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 Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 177,198 tonnes in 2015.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 106,686 tonnes in 2023.
- How does Belgium rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- Belgium ranks 67th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium 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 — 22 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.