Nitrogen fertilizer use in South Korea
South Korea: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 211,405 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
211,405 tonnes
Change on year
down 12.7%
World rank
48th
of 202 countries
All-time high
507,000 tonnes
in 1997
All-time low
173,234 tonnes
in 1964
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Nitrogen fertilizer use in South Korea, 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 South Korea stood at 211,405 tonnes.
That represents a change of down 12.7% on the previous year and down 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in South Korea peaked at 507,000 tonnes in 1997 and was at its lowest, 173,234 tonnes, in 1964.
That places South Korea 48th 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 South Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 216,860 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 200,000 tonnes | -7.8% |
| 1963 | 199,297 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 173,234 tonnes | -13.1% |
| 1965 | 201,163 tonnes | +16.1% |
| 1966 | 239,691 tonnes | +19.2% |
| 1967 | 277,556 tonnes | +15.8% |
| 1968 | 285,919 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1969 | 320,123 tonnes | +12.0% |
| 1970 | 355,550 tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1971 | 347,200 tonnes | -2.3% |
| 1972 | 372,585 tonnes | +7.3% |
| 1973 | 411,236 tonnes | +10.4% |
| 1974 | 447,377 tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1975 | 467,678 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1976 | 361,289 tonnes | -22.7% |
| 1977 | 387,890 tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1978 | 461,610 tonnes | +19.0% |
| 1979 | 443,900 tonnes | -3.8% |
| 1980 | 447,224 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 431,838 tonnes | -3.4% |
| 1982 | 308,600 tonnes | -28.5% |
| 1983 | 367,400 tonnes | +19.1% |
| 1984 | 401,800 tonnes | +9.4% |
| 1985 | 426,100 tonnes | +6.0% |
| 1986 | 435,400 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 448,900 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1988 | 460,100 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 505,744 tonnes | +9.9% |
| 1990 | 505,400 tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 473,500 tonnes | -6.3% |
| 1992 | 486,600 tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 477,300 tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 475,000 tonnes | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 478,029 tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 455,907 tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1997 | 507,000 tonnes | +11.2% |
| 1998 | 451,000 tonnes | -11.0% |
| 1999 | 428,298 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2000 | 411,517 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 374,555 tonnes | -9.0% |
| 2002 | 355,982 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2003 | 360,970 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 385,933 tonnes | +6.9% |
| 2005 | 417,304 tonnes | +8.1% |
| 2006 | 306,924 tonnes | -26.5% |
| 2007 | 347,381 tonnes | +13.2% |
| 2008 | 286,512 tonnes | -17.5% |
| 2009 | 225,992 tonnes | -21.1% |
| 2010 | 215,330 tonnes | -4.7% |
| 2011 | 221,383 tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 232,059 tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 223,951 tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2014 | 221,061 tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 212,115 tonnes | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 214,594 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 209,484 tonnes | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 216,141 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 211,677 tonnes | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 229,251 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 2021 | 212,228 tonnes | -7.4% |
| 2022 | 242,279 tonnes | +14.2% |
| 2023 | 211,405 tonnes | -12.7% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 211,405 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 83,582 tonnes, 2.5× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 211,405 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 21,697 tonnes, 9.7× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 234,871 tonnes | 173,234 tonnes | 320,123 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 405,632 tonnes | 347,200 tonnes | 467,678 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 423,311 tonnes | 308,600 tonnes | 505,744 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 473,803 tonnes | 428,298 tonnes | 507,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 347,307 tonnes | 225,992 tonnes | 417,304 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 217,780 tonnes | 209,484 tonnes | 232,059 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 223,791 tonnes | 211,405 tonnes | 242,279 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More agriculture & rural data for South Korea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.2516 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0146 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 530.46 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1591 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1883 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use in South Korea?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use in South Korea was 211,405 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 507,000 tonnes in 1997.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 173,234 tonnes in 1964.
- How does South Korea rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- South Korea ranks 48th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea 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.