Nitrogen fertilizer use in Iceland
Iceland: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 8,703 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
8,703 tonnes
Change on year
down 22.4%
World rank
134th
of 202 countries
All-time high
15,779 tonnes
in 1978
All-time low
7,409 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Iceland, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 8,703 tonnes for nitrogen fertilizer use in 2023.
The figure is down 22.4% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in Iceland peaked at 15,779 tonnes in 1978 and was at its lowest, 7,409 tonnes, in 1961.
That places Iceland 134th 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 63 years of available data.
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Iceland, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 7,409 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 8,998 tonnes | +21.4% |
| 1963 | 9,541 tonnes | +6.0% |
| 1964 | 10,024 tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1965 | 10,175 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1966 | 10,536 tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1967 | 11,428 tonnes | +8.5% |
| 1968 | 12,008 tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1969 | 11,745 tonnes | -2.2% |
| 1970 | 12,134 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 13,313 tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1972 | 13,704 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 14,145 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1974 | 13,589 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1975 | 14,761 tonnes | +8.6% |
| 1976 | 14,813 tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 15,007 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 15,779 tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1979 | 15,734 tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 14,868 tonnes | -5.5% |
| 1981 | 15,202 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 14,700 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 1983 | 14,813 tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 13,544 tonnes | -8.6% |
| 1985 | 12,918 tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1986 | 12,739 tonnes | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 11,381 tonnes | -10.7% |
| 1988 | 11,801 tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 12,100 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 12,500 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 12,126 tonnes | -3.0% |
| 1992 | 10,848 tonnes | -10.5% |
| 1993 | 12,000 tonnes | +10.6% |
| 1994 | 11,200 tonnes | -6.7% |
| 1995 | 10,062 tonnes | -10.2% |
| 1996 | 11,592 tonnes | +15.2% |
| 1997 | 11,800 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 12,500 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1999 | 13,500 tonnes | +8.0% |
| 2000 | 13,000 tonnes | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 8,981 tonnes | -30.9% |
| 2002 | 11,085 tonnes | +23.4% |
| 2003 | 10,344 tonnes | -6.7% |
| 2004 | 9,889 tonnes | -4.4% |
| 2005 | 9,775 tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 12,342 tonnes | +26.3% |
| 2007 | 13,832 tonnes | +12.1% |
| 2008 | 15,321 tonnes | +10.8% |
| 2009 | 7,535 tonnes | -50.8% |
| 2010 | 7,590 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 8,670 tonnes | +14.2% |
| 2012 | 9,429 tonnes | +8.8% |
| 2013 | 8,616 tonnes | -8.6% |
| 2014 | 10,793 tonnes | +25.3% |
| 2015 | 11,374 tonnes | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 10,831 tonnes | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 13,066 tonnes | +20.6% |
| 2018 | 11,743 tonnes | -10.1% |
| 2019 | 10,381 tonnes | -11.6% |
| 2020 | 11,408 tonnes | +9.9% |
| 2021 | 12,245 tonnes | +7.3% |
| 2022 | 11,211 tonnes | -8.4% |
| 2023 | 8,703 tonnes | -22.4% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 8,703 tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 83,582 tonnes, 10% of the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 8,703 tonnes is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 107,185 tonnes, 8% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10,207 tonnes | 7,409 tonnes | 12,008 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 14,298 tonnes | 12,134 tonnes | 15,779 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 13,407 tonnes | 11,381 tonnes | 15,202 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 11,813 tonnes | 10,062 tonnes | 13,500 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 11,210 tonnes | 7,535 tonnes | 15,321 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 10,249 tonnes | 7,590 tonnes | 13,066 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 10,892 tonnes | 8,703 tonnes | 12,245 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More agriculture & rural data for Iceland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 19.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0365 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 3,593 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8983 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0578 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 3.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 3.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use in Iceland?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use in Iceland was 8,703 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 15,779 tonnes in 1978.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,409 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Iceland rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- Iceland ranks 134th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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.