Nitrogen fertilizer use in Laos
Laos: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 63,991 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Laos, 1963–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Laos recorded 63,991 tonnes for nitrogen fertilizer use in 2023. That is the highest value across all 59 years on record.
That represents a change of up 58.5% on the previous year and up 205.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in Laos peaked at 63,991 tonnes in 2023 and was at its lowest, 50 tonnes, in 1963.
That places Laos 90th out of 202 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Laos, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 50 tonnes | — |
| 1964 | 50 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 100 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 1966 | 400 tonnes | +300.0% |
| 1967 | 270 tonnes | -32.5% |
| 1968 | 851 tonnes | +215.2% |
| 1969 | 405 tonnes | -52.4% |
| 1970 | 106 tonnes | -73.8% |
| 1971 | 100 tonnes | -5.7% |
| 1972 | 100 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 100 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 100 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 100 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 100 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 100 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 52 tonnes | -48.0% |
| 1979 | 87 tonnes | +67.3% |
| 1980 | 4,000 tonnes | +4497.7% |
| 1981 | 4,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 150 tonnes | -96.2% |
| 1983 | 518 tonnes | +245.3% |
| 1985 | 1,400 tonnes | +170.3% |
| 1987 | 300 tonnes | -78.6% |
| 1988 | 100 tonnes | -66.7% |
| 1989 | 100 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1,100 tonnes | +1000.0% |
| 1991 | 1,663 tonnes | +51.2% |
| 1992 | 3,122 tonnes | +87.7% |
| 1993 | 1,900 tonnes | -39.1% |
| 1994 | 694 tonnes | -63.5% |
| 1995 | 2,093 tonnes | +201.6% |
| 1996 | 2,000 tonnes | -4.4% |
| 1997 | 5,000 tonnes | +150.0% |
| 1998 | 2,859 tonnes | -42.8% |
| 1999 | 4,526 tonnes | +58.3% |
| 2000 | 3,227 tonnes | -28.7% |
| 2001 | 6,221 tonnes | +92.8% |
| 2002 | 6,285 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 2,714 tonnes | -56.8% |
| 2004 | 4,512 tonnes | +66.2% |
| 2005 | 5,361 tonnes | +18.8% |
| 2006 | 4,958 tonnes | -7.5% |
| 2007 | 5,515 tonnes | +11.2% |
| 2008 | 5,754 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 8,259 tonnes | +43.5% |
| 2010 | 8,622 tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 9,651 tonnes | +11.9% |
| 2012 | 29,469 tonnes | +205.3% |
| 2013 | 20,933 tonnes | -29.0% |
| 2014 | 27,921 tonnes | +33.4% |
| 2015 | 27,981 tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 25,069 tonnes | -10.4% |
| 2017 | 25,069 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 33,789 tonnes | +34.8% |
| 2019 | 40,696 tonnes | +20.4% |
| 2020 | 36,525 tonnes | -10.2% |
| 2021 | 36,481 tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 40,373 tonnes | +10.7% |
| 2023 | 63,991 tonnes | +58.5% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 63,991 tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 47,552 tonnes, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Laos's 63,991 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 21,697 tonnes, 2.9× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nitrogen fertilizer use in Laos changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +4497.7% | 87 tonnes | 4,000 tonnes |
| 1990 | +1000.0% | 100 tonnes | 1,100 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 303.71 tonnes | 50 tonnes | 851 tonnes | 7 |
| 1970s | 94.5 tonnes | 52 tonnes | 106 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,321 tonnes | 100 tonnes | 4,000 tonnes | 8 |
| 1990s | 2,496 tonnes | 694 tonnes | 5,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 5,281 tonnes | 2,714 tonnes | 8,259 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 24,920 tonnes | 8,622 tonnes | 40,696 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 44,342 tonnes | 36,481 tonnes | 63,991 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Laos
- 87 Burkina Faso 65,038 tonnes compare
- 88 Tunisia 64,485 tonnes compare
- 89 Azerbaijan 64,472 tonnes compare
- 91 Syria 59,235 tonnes compare
- 92 Nicaragua 58,920 tonnes compare
- 93 Mozambique 56,512 tonnes compare
More agriculture & rural data for Laos
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1662 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 386.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0583 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5969 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 10.3% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 4.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use in Laos?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use in Laos was 63,991 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 Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 63,991 tonnes in 2023.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 50 tonnes in 1963.
- How does Laos rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- Laos ranks 90th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is up 205.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Laos 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 — 59 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.