Nitrogen fertilizer use in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 119,230 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Sri Lanka, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 119,230 tonnes for nitrogen fertilizer use in 2023.
That represents a change of down 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in Sri Lanka peaked at 239,289 tonnes in 2020 and was at its lowest, 36,087 tonnes, in 1963.
Sri Lanka ranks 63rd of 201 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 43,582 tonnes | 36,087 tonnes | 55,829 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 58,720 tonnes | 40,100 tonnes | 80,900 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 95,225 tonnes | 78,500 tonnes | 108,531 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 119,130 tonnes | 92,406 tonnes | 163,798 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 172,766 tonnes | 150,656 tonnes | 209,393 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 148,544 tonnes | 68,830 tonnes | 227,849 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 149,245 tonnes | 119,230 tonnes | 239,289 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 9.10 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 8.4% (2025)
- Rural population 17.31 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.9% (2025)
- Rural population 79.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 1.25 million hectares (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use in Sri Lanka?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use in Sri Lanka was 119,230 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 239,289 tonnes in 2020.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 36,087 tonnes in 1963.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- Sri Lanka ranks 63rd out of 201 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.