Nitrogen fertilizer use in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 87,863 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Costa Rica, 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, nitrogen fertilizer use in Costa Rica stood at 87,863 tonnes.
That represents a change of up 25.3% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in Costa Rica peaked at 104,000 tonnes in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6,226 tonnes, in 1961.
That places Costa Rica 73rd out of 201 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 19,049 tonnes | 6,226 tonnes | 39,980 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 33,838 tonnes | 25,900 tonnes | 40,880 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 51,727 tonnes | 40,500 tonnes | 63,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 75,600 tonnes | 55,600 tonnes | 104,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 65,723 tonnes | 45,374 tonnes | 81,538 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 87,594 tonnes | 61,205 tonnes | 98,943 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 83,521 tonnes | 70,111 tonnes | 94,724 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More agriculture & rural data for Costa Rica
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.46 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.4% (2025)
- Rural population 1.04 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -1.6% (2025)
- Rural population 20.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 3.4% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 3.4% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 18,980 hectares (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use in Costa Rica?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use in Costa Rica was 87,863 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 Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 104,000 tonnes in 1998.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,226 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Costa Rica rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- Costa Rica ranks 73rd out of 201 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica 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.