Nitrogen fertilizer use in Germany

Germany: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 1.04 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
1.04 million tonnes
Change on year
up 3.1%
World rank
19th
of 201 countries
All-time high
2.41 million tonnes
in 1988
All-time low
877,000 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Nitrogen fertilizer use in Germany, 1961–2023

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2.5M196119922023

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 Germany is 1.04 million tonnes, measured in 2023.

The figure is up 3.1% on the previous year and down 38.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in Germany peaked at 2.41 million tonnes in 1988 and was at its lowest, 877,000 tonnes, in 1961.

Germany ranks 19th of 201 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 1.23 million tonnes 877,000 tonnes 1.57 million tonnes 9
1970s 1.93 million tonnes 1.64 million tonnes 2.23 million tonnes 10
1980s 2.24 million tonnes 2.07 million tonnes 2.41 million tonnes 10
1990s 1.78 million tonnes 1.61 million tonnes 2.01 million tonnes 10
2000s 1.73 million tonnes 1.55 million tonnes 1.85 million tonnes 10
2010s 1.62 million tonnes 1.34 million tonnes 1.82 million tonnes 10
2020s 1.10 million tonnes 1.01 million tonnes 1.27 million tonnes 4

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 16 Egypt 1.28 million tonnes compare
  2. 17 Argentina 1.26 million tonnes compare
  3. 18 Poland 1.16 million tonnes compare
  4. 20 Ukraine 993,599 tonnes compare
  5. 21 Uzbekistan 961,192 tonnes compare
  6. 22 Iran 903,185 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is nitrogen fertilizer use in Germany?
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Germany was 1.04 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 Germany?
The highest recorded value was 2.41 million tonnes in 1988.
What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 877,000 tonnes in 1961.
How does Germany rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
Germany ranks 19th out of 201 countries with data for 2023.
Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is down 38.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Germany 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

Indicator
Nitrogen fertilizer use
Unit
tonnes
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 10,271 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Measures total nitrogen inputs, including synthetic fertilizers alongside organic inputs from manure and crop fixation. Measured in tonnes of nitrogen.