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
20th
of 202 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
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 20th of 202 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Germany, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 877,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 1.03 million tonnes | +17.6% |
| 1963 | 1.04 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 1.12 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 1965 | 1.29 million tonnes | +14.7% |
| 1966 | 1.32 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1967 | 1.34 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 1.44 million tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1969 | 1.57 million tonnes | +8.9% |
| 1970 | 1.64 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1971 | 1.71 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 1.85 million tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1973 | 1.77 million tonnes | -4.3% |
| 1974 | 1.87 million tonnes | +6.0% |
| 1975 | 1.91 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 2.08 million tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1977 | 2.10 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 2.14 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 2.23 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1980 | 2.30 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1981 | 2.07 million tonnes | -10.0% |
| 1982 | 2.17 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 2.07 million tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1984 | 2.15 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 2.29 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 1986 | 2.29 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 2.38 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 2.41 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 2.25 million tonnes | -6.6% |
| 1990 | 1.79 million tonnes | -20.7% |
| 1991 | 1.72 million tonnes | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 1.68 million tonnes | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 1.61 million tonnes | -4.0% |
| 1994 | 1.79 million tonnes | +10.9% |
| 1995 | 1.77 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 1.76 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 1.79 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 1.90 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 1999 | 2.01 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2000 | 1.85 million tonnes | -8.3% |
| 2001 | 1.79 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 1.79 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 1.83 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 1.78 million tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 1.78 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 1.60 million tonnes | -10.4% |
| 2007 | 1.81 million tonnes | +13.0% |
| 2008 | 1.55 million tonnes | -14.2% |
| 2009 | 1.57 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 1.79 million tonnes | +13.9% |
| 2011 | 1.64 million tonnes | -8.2% |
| 2012 | 1.65 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 1.68 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 1.82 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 2015 | 1.71 million tonnes | -6.2% |
| 2016 | 1.66 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 1.50 million tonnes | -9.8% |
| 2018 | 1.34 million tonnes | -10.3% |
| 2019 | 1.37 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 1.27 million tonnes | -7.8% |
| 2021 | 1.10 million tonnes | -13.3% |
| 2022 | 1.01 million tonnes | -8.2% |
| 2023 | 1.04 million tonnes | +3.1% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 1.04 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 83,582 tonnes, 12.4× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Germany's 1.04 million tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 107,185 tonnes, 9.7× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More agriculture & rural data for Germany
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0087 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 527.18 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6813 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1786 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
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 20th out of 202 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
Measures total nitrogen inputs, including synthetic fertilizers alongside organic inputs from manure and crop fixation. Measured in tonnes of nitrogen.