Nitrogen fertilizer use in Portugal
Portugal: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 89,189 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Portugal, 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 Portugal stood at 89,189 tonnes.
That represents a change of up 31.1% on the previous year and down 19.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in Portugal peaked at 156,500 tonnes in 1988 and was at its lowest, 55,066 tonnes, in 1962.
That places Portugal 73rd out of 202 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Portugal, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 68,393 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 55,066 tonnes | -19.5% |
| 1963 | 86,848 tonnes | +57.7% |
| 1964 | 108,803 tonnes | +25.3% |
| 1965 | 88,306 tonnes | -18.8% |
| 1966 | 70,032 tonnes | -20.7% |
| 1967 | 101,604 tonnes | +45.1% |
| 1968 | 101,209 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 112,660 tonnes | +11.3% |
| 1970 | 76,644 tonnes | -32.0% |
| 1971 | 90,475 tonnes | +18.0% |
| 1972 | 130,378 tonnes | +44.1% |
| 1973 | 127,722 tonnes | -2.0% |
| 1974 | 126,834 tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1975 | 141,000 tonnes | +11.2% |
| 1976 | 136,602 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 1977 | 154,442 tonnes | +13.1% |
| 1978 | 138,607 tonnes | -10.3% |
| 1979 | 155,043 tonnes | +11.9% |
| 1980 | 136,603 tonnes | -11.9% |
| 1981 | 145,043 tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1982 | 138,554 tonnes | -4.5% |
| 1983 | 125,694 tonnes | -9.3% |
| 1984 | 123,200 tonnes | -2.0% |
| 1985 | 137,200 tonnes | +11.4% |
| 1986 | 149,800 tonnes | +9.2% |
| 1987 | 149,500 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 156,500 tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1989 | 145,400 tonnes | -7.1% |
| 1990 | 150,200 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 141,000 tonnes | -6.1% |
| 1992 | 127,000 tonnes | -9.9% |
| 1993 | 129,000 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 128,000 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 125,000 tonnes | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 132,000 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1997 | 121,000 tonnes | -8.3% |
| 1998 | 131,000 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1999 | 120,000 tonnes | -8.4% |
| 2000 | 113,000 tonnes | -5.8% |
| 2001 | 103,000 tonnes | -8.8% |
| 2002 | 101,000 tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 95,000 tonnes | -5.9% |
| 2004 | 88,000 tonnes | -7.4% |
| 2005 | 84,000 tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 87,391 tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2007 | 113,005 tonnes | +29.3% |
| 2008 | 105,131 tonnes | -7.0% |
| 2009 | 97,293 tonnes | -7.5% |
| 2010 | 100,249 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 95,088 tonnes | -5.1% |
| 2012 | 106,864 tonnes | +12.4% |
| 2013 | 110,643 tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 129,991 tonnes | +17.5% |
| 2015 | 117,906 tonnes | -9.3% |
| 2016 | 108,440 tonnes | -8.0% |
| 2017 | 102,584 tonnes | -5.4% |
| 2018 | 101,365 tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 107,394 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 103,171 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 2021 | 94,864 tonnes | -8.1% |
| 2022 | 68,041 tonnes | -28.3% |
| 2023 | 89,189 tonnes | +31.1% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 89,189 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 83,582 tonnes, 1.1× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 89,189 tonnes is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 107,185 tonnes, 83% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nitrogen fertilizer use in Portugal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | +57.7% | 55,066 tonnes | 86,848 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 88,102 tonnes | 55,066 tonnes | 112,660 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 127,775 tonnes | 76,644 tonnes | 155,043 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 140,749 tonnes | 123,200 tonnes | 156,500 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 130,420 tonnes | 120,000 tonnes | 150,200 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 98,682 tonnes | 84,000 tonnes | 113,005 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 108,052 tonnes | 95,088 tonnes | 129,991 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 88,816 tonnes | 68,041 tonnes | 103,171 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More agriculture & rural data for Portugal
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0196 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 628.85 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5936 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.385 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use in Portugal?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use in Portugal was 89,189 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 Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 156,500 tonnes in 1988.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 55,066 tonnes in 1962.
- How does Portugal rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- Portugal ranks 73rd out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal 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.