Nitrogen fertilizer use in Malta
Malta: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 586 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Malta, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for nitrogen fertilizer use in Malta is 586 tonnes, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in Malta peaked at 1,159 tonnes in 1998 and was at its lowest, 187 tonnes, in 1982.
Malta ranks 161st of 202 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Malta, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 403 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 402 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 544 tonnes | +35.3% |
| 1964 | 448 tonnes | -17.6% |
| 1965 | 323 tonnes | -27.9% |
| 1966 | 313 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 1967 | 432 tonnes | +38.0% |
| 1968 | 301 tonnes | -30.3% |
| 1969 | 492 tonnes | +63.5% |
| 1970 | 563 tonnes | +14.4% |
| 1971 | 486 tonnes | -13.7% |
| 1972 | 608 tonnes | +25.1% |
| 1973 | 270 tonnes | -55.6% |
| 1974 | 233 tonnes | -13.7% |
| 1975 | 232 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 245 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1977 | 573 tonnes | +133.9% |
| 1978 | 576 tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 488 tonnes | -15.3% |
| 1980 | 959 tonnes | +96.5% |
| 1981 | 228 tonnes | -76.2% |
| 1982 | 187 tonnes | -18.0% |
| 1983 | 488 tonnes | +161.0% |
| 1984 | 530 tonnes | +8.6% |
| 1985 | 519 tonnes | -2.1% |
| 1986 | 468 tonnes | -9.8% |
| 1987 | 576 tonnes | +23.1% |
| 1988 | 466 tonnes | -19.1% |
| 1989 | 437 tonnes | -6.2% |
| 1990 | 466 tonnes | +6.6% |
| 1991 | 466 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 514 tonnes | +10.3% |
| 1993 | 493 tonnes | -4.1% |
| 1994 | 493 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 878 tonnes | +78.1% |
| 1996 | 586 tonnes | -33.3% |
| 1997 | 593 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 1,159 tonnes | +95.4% |
| 1999 | 451 tonnes | -61.1% |
| 2000 | 755 tonnes | +67.4% |
| 2001 | 624 tonnes | -17.4% |
| 2002 | 660 tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2003 | 536 tonnes | -18.8% |
| 2004 | 527 tonnes | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 591 tonnes | +12.1% |
| 2006 | 681 tonnes | +15.2% |
| 2007 | 592 tonnes | -13.1% |
| 2008 | 407 tonnes | -31.2% |
| 2009 | 440 tonnes | +8.1% |
| 2010 | 552 tonnes | +25.5% |
| 2011 | 471 tonnes | -14.7% |
| 2012 | 548 tonnes | +16.3% |
| 2013 | 571 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 595 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 618 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 568 tonnes | -8.1% |
| 2017 | 585 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 586 tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 586 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 586 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 586 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 586 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 586 tonnes | +0.0% |
Malta compared with similar countries
- Malta's 586 tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 83,582 tonnes, 1% of the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Malta's 586 tonnes is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 29,329 tonnes, 2% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nitrogen fertilizer use in Malta 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | +161.0% | 187 tonnes | 488 tonnes |
| 1977 | +133.9% | 245 tonnes | 573 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 406.44 tonnes | 301 tonnes | 544 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 427.4 tonnes | 232 tonnes | 608 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 485.8 tonnes | 187 tonnes | 959 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 609.9 tonnes | 451 tonnes | 1,159 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 581.3 tonnes | 407 tonnes | 755 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 568 tonnes | 471 tonnes | 618 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 586 tonnes | 586 tonnes | 586 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malta
- 158 French Guiana 1,060 tonnes compare
- 159 Trinidad and Tobago 928 tonnes compare
- 160 Bhutan 643 tonnes compare
- 162 New Caledonia 562 tonnes compare
- 163 Hong Kong 546 tonnes compare
- 164 South Sudan 458 tonnes compare
More agriculture & rural data for Malta
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0047 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 224.75 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0432 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use in Malta?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use in Malta was 586 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 Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 1,159 tonnes in 1998.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 187 tonnes in 1982.
- How does Malta rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- Malta ranks 161st out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malta 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.