Nitrogen fertilizer use in India
India: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 20.46 million tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Nitrogen fertilizer use in India, 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 India stood at 20.46 million tonnes. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 22.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in India peaked at 20.46 million tonnes in 2023 and was at its lowest, 249,800 tonnes, in 1961.
India ranks 2nd of 201 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 714,067 tonnes | 249,800 tonnes | 1.36 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.37 million tonnes | 1.48 million tonnes | 3.50 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.41 million tonnes | 3.68 million tonnes | 7.16 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.63 million tonnes | 7.57 million tonnes | 11.59 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.68 million tonnes | 10.47 million tonnes | 15.56 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.19 million tonnes | 16.45 million tonnes | 18.86 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.14 million tonnes | 19.49 million tonnes | 20.46 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More agriculture & rural data for India
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 642.24 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 16.2% (2025)
- Rural population 941.42 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Rural population 64.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.2% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.2% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 107.67 million hectares (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use in India?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use in India was 20.46 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 20.46 million tonnes in 2023.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 249,800 tonnes in 1961.
- How does India rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- India ranks 2nd out of 201 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this India 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.