Nitrogen fertilizer use in Japan
Japan: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 337,600 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
337,600 tonnes
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
37th
of 202 countries
All-time high
821,200 tonnes
in 1973
All-time low
337,600 tonnes
in 2022
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Japan, 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 Japan stood at 337,600 tonnes. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in Japan peaked at 821,200 tonnes in 1973 and was at its lowest, 337,600 tonnes, in 2022.
That places Japan 37th out of 202 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Japan, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 633,400 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 659,600 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1963 | 687,300 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1964 | 668,000 tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1965 | 690,500 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1966 | 745,600 tonnes | +8.0% |
| 1967 | 775,900 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1968 | 775,200 tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 739,800 tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1970 | 688,200 tonnes | -7.0% |
| 1971 | 676,000 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1972 | 733,000 tonnes | +8.4% |
| 1973 | 821,200 tonnes | +12.0% |
| 1974 | 690,800 tonnes | -15.9% |
| 1975 | 653,000 tonnes | -5.5% |
| 1976 | 702,000 tonnes | +7.5% |
| 1977 | 716,000 tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 723,000 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 777,000 tonnes | +7.5% |
| 1980 | 614,000 tonnes | -21.0% |
| 1981 | 643,000 tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1982 | 683,000 tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1983 | 701,000 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1984 | 697,200 tonnes | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 680,000 tonnes | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 693,000 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 669,000 tonnes | -3.5% |
| 1988 | 640,000 tonnes | -4.3% |
| 1989 | 641,000 tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 612,000 tonnes | -4.5% |
| 1991 | 576,000 tonnes | -5.9% |
| 1992 | 572,000 tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 600,000 tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1994 | 580,400 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 527,500 tonnes | -9.1% |
| 1996 | 511,700 tonnes | -3.0% |
| 1997 | 495,200 tonnes | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 476,000 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1999 | 479,500 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 487,400 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 484,000 tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 473,207 tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 493,574 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 474,588 tonnes | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 470,968 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 453,536 tonnes | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 478,818 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 2008 | 359,899 tonnes | -24.8% |
| 2009 | 349,970 tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 409,397 tonnes | +17.0% |
| 2011 | 387,019 tonnes | -5.5% |
| 2012 | 396,596 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 367,000 tonnes | -7.5% |
| 2014 | 395,800 tonnes | +7.8% |
| 2015 | 359,100 tonnes | -9.3% |
| 2016 | 380,200 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 2017 | 385,500 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 369,400 tonnes | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 357,400 tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 354,900 tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 349,000 tonnes | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 337,600 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 337,600 tonnes | +0.0% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 337,600 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 83,582 tonnes, 4.0× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Japan's 337,600 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 21,697 tonnes, 15.6× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 708,367 tonnes | 633,400 tonnes | 775,900 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 718,020 tonnes | 653,000 tonnes | 821,200 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 666,120 tonnes | 614,000 tonnes | 701,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 543,030 tonnes | 476,000 tonnes | 612,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 452,596 tonnes | 349,970 tonnes | 493,574 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 380,741 tonnes | 357,400 tonnes | 409,397 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 344,775 tonnes | 337,600 tonnes | 354,900 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More agriculture & rural data for Japan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0096 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 323.87 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.077 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.0% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use in Japan?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use in Japan was 337,600 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 821,200 tonnes in 1973.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 337,600 tonnes in 2022.
- How does Japan rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- Japan ranks 37th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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.