Nitrogen fertilizer use in Sweden
Sweden: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 184,000 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
184,000 tonnes
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
53rd
of 202 countries
All-time high
263,486 tonnes
in 1973
All-time low
111,471 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Sweden, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 184,000 tonnes for nitrogen fertilizer use in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and up 14.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in Sweden peaked at 263,486 tonnes in 1973 and was at its lowest, 111,471 tonnes, in 1961.
Sweden ranks 53rd of 202 countries on this measure, 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 Sweden, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 111,471 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 117,066 tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1963 | 129,736 tonnes | +10.8% |
| 1964 | 149,115 tonnes | +14.9% |
| 1965 | 161,119 tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1966 | 164,305 tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1967 | 181,366 tonnes | +10.4% |
| 1968 | 190,888 tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1969 | 205,124 tonnes | +7.5% |
| 1970 | 225,554 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 1971 | 233,776 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1972 | 232,859 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 263,486 tonnes | +13.2% |
| 1974 | 235,336 tonnes | -10.7% |
| 1975 | 258,000 tonnes | +9.6% |
| 1976 | 259,084 tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 258,030 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 255,969 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 256,257 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 243,890 tonnes | -4.8% |
| 1981 | 248,109 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 249,340 tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 257,854 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1984 | 253,222 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 245,909 tonnes | -2.9% |
| 1986 | 240,853 tonnes | -2.1% |
| 1987 | 241,468 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 222,500 tonnes | -7.9% |
| 1989 | 221,457 tonnes | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 211,716 tonnes | -4.4% |
| 1991 | 185,000 tonnes | -12.6% |
| 1992 | 206,802 tonnes | +11.8% |
| 1993 | 226,250 tonnes | +9.4% |
| 1994 | 215,999 tonnes | -4.5% |
| 1995 | 193,067 tonnes | -10.6% |
| 1996 | 207,764 tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1997 | 206,997 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 196,000 tonnes | -5.3% |
| 1999 | 197,000 tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 196,716 tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 187,029 tonnes | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 184,800 tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 180,100 tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 176,800 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 161,500 tonnes | -8.7% |
| 2006 | 160,300 tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 167,100 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 186,500 tonnes | +11.6% |
| 2009 | 142,400 tonnes | -23.6% |
| 2010 | 167,194 tonnes | +17.4% |
| 2011 | 171,444 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 148,097 tonnes | -13.6% |
| 2013 | 161,052 tonnes | +8.7% |
| 2014 | 181,090 tonnes | +12.4% |
| 2015 | 190,228 tonnes | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 186,043 tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 198,460 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2018 | 184,187 tonnes | -7.2% |
| 2019 | 182,664 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 215,171 tonnes | +17.8% |
| 2021 | 195,000 tonnes | -9.4% |
| 2022 | 184,900 tonnes | -5.2% |
| 2023 | 184,000 tonnes | -0.5% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 184,000 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 83,582 tonnes, 2.2× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 184,000 tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 107,185 tonnes, 1.7× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 156,688 tonnes | 111,471 tonnes | 205,124 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 247,835 tonnes | 225,554 tonnes | 263,486 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 242,460 tonnes | 221,457 tonnes | 257,854 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 204,660 tonnes | 185,000 tonnes | 226,250 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 174,324 tonnes | 142,400 tonnes | 196,716 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 177,046 tonnes | 148,097 tonnes | 198,460 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 194,768 tonnes | 184,000 tonnes | 215,171 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More agriculture & rural data for Sweden
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 15.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.015 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 949.09 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1092 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 3.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use in Sweden?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use in Sweden was 184,000 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 263,486 tonnes in 1973.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 111,471 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Sweden rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- Sweden ranks 53rd out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden 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.