Nitrogen fertilizer use in France
France: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 1.73 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.73 million tonnes
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
14th
of 202 countries
All-time high
2.66 million tonnes
in 1989
All-time low
624,700 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Nitrogen fertilizer use in France, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
France recorded 1.73 million tonnes for nitrogen fertilizer use in 2023.
The figure is down 20.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in France peaked at 2.66 million tonnes in 1989 and was at its lowest, 624,700 tonnes, in 1961.
France ranks 14th of 202 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Nitrogen fertilizer use in France, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 624,700 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 682,821 tonnes | +9.3% |
| 1963 | 790,672 tonnes | +15.8% |
| 1964 | 860,500 tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1965 | 870,600 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1966 | 990,017 tonnes | +13.7% |
| 1967 | 1.13 million tonnes | +14.4% |
| 1968 | 1.24 million tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1969 | 1.24 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 1.45 million tonnes | +17.1% |
| 1971 | 1.52 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1972 | 1.59 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1973 | 1.83 million tonnes | +15.4% |
| 1974 | 1.55 million tonnes | -15.2% |
| 1975 | 1.71 million tonnes | +9.8% |
| 1976 | 1.81 million tonnes | +6.3% |
| 1977 | 1.83 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 1.98 million tonnes | +8.0% |
| 1979 | 2.13 million tonnes | +7.9% |
| 1980 | 2.15 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 2.19 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 2.20 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 2.32 million tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1984 | 2.34 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 2.41 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1986 | 2.57 million tonnes | +6.7% |
| 1987 | 2.56 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 2.60 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 2.66 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 2.49 million tonnes | -6.3% |
| 1991 | 2.57 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 2.15 million tonnes | -16.2% |
| 1993 | 2.22 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 2.31 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 2.39 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1996 | 2.52 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 1997 | 2.51 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 2.49 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 2.57 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 2.32 million tonnes | -9.9% |
| 2001 | 2.40 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 2.20 million tonnes | -8.1% |
| 2003 | 2.38 million tonnes | +7.8% |
| 2004 | 2.32 million tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 2.21 million tonnes | -5.1% |
| 2006 | 2.20 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 2.40 million tonnes | +9.0% |
| 2008 | 2.10 million tonnes | -12.6% |
| 2009 | 1.90 million tonnes | -9.4% |
| 2010 | 2.04 million tonnes | +7.5% |
| 2011 | 1.94 million tonnes | -4.8% |
| 2012 | 2.02 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 2.17 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2014 | 2.16 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 2.24 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 2.19 million tonnes | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 2.35 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2018 | 2.17 million tonnes | -7.6% |
| 2019 | 2.02 million tonnes | -6.7% |
| 2020 | 2.09 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 1.98 million tonnes | -5.1% |
| 2022 | 1.73 million tonnes | -12.6% |
| 2023 | 1.73 million tonnes | +0.0% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 1.73 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 83,582 tonnes, 20.7× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- France's 1.73 million tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 107,185 tonnes, 16.2× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 937,428 tonnes | 624,700 tonnes | 1.24 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.74 million tonnes | 1.45 million tonnes | 2.13 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.40 million tonnes | 2.15 million tonnes | 2.66 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.42 million tonnes | 2.15 million tonnes | 2.57 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.24 million tonnes | 1.90 million tonnes | 2.40 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.13 million tonnes | 1.94 million tonnes | 2.35 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.89 million tonnes | 1.73 million tonnes | 2.09 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near France
More agriculture & rural data for France
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 14.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.014 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 687.36 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.033 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2115 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use in France?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use in France was 1.73 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 2.66 million tonnes in 1989.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 624,700 tonnes in 1961.
- How does France rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- France ranks 14th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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.