Nitrogen fertilizer use in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 871,000 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
871,000 tonnes
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
24th
of 202 countries
All-time high
1.65 million tonnes
in 1986
All-time low
496,400 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Nitrogen fertilizer use in United Kingdom, 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 United Kingdom is 871,000 tonnes, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 12.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in United Kingdom peaked at 1.65 million tonnes in 1986 and was at its lowest, 496,400 tonnes, in 1961.
That places United Kingdom 24th out of 202 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Nitrogen fertilizer use in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 496,400 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 541,100 tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1963 | 583,600 tonnes | +7.9% |
| 1964 | 596,000 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 689,700 tonnes | +15.7% |
| 1966 | 759,800 tonnes | +10.2% |
| 1967 | 908,800 tonnes | +19.6% |
| 1968 | 855,300 tonnes | -5.9% |
| 1969 | 690,300 tonnes | -19.3% |
| 1970 | 800,800 tonnes | +16.0% |
| 1971 | 930,100 tonnes | +16.1% |
| 1972 | 789,200 tonnes | -15.1% |
| 1973 | 874,400 tonnes | +10.8% |
| 1974 | 927,000 tonnes | +6.0% |
| 1975 | 1.04 million tonnes | +12.7% |
| 1976 | 1.11 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1977 | 1.18 million tonnes | +6.0% |
| 1978 | 1.22 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1979 | 1.31 million tonnes | +7.5% |
| 1980 | 1.24 million tonnes | -5.6% |
| 1981 | 1.39 million tonnes | +11.8% |
| 1982 | 1.56 million tonnes | +12.6% |
| 1983 | 1.60 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1984 | 1.58 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 1.57 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 1.65 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1987 | 1.52 million tonnes | -7.6% |
| 1988 | 1.51 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 1.58 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1990 | 1.52 million tonnes | -4.2% |
| 1991 | 1.36 million tonnes | -10.0% |
| 1992 | 1.22 million tonnes | -10.7% |
| 1993 | 1.24 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 1.34 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 1995 | 1.33 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 1.45 million tonnes | +9.3% |
| 1997 | 1.36 million tonnes | -6.1% |
| 1998 | 1.29 million tonnes | -5.6% |
| 1999 | 1.27 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 1.11 million tonnes | -12.1% |
| 2001 | 1.20 million tonnes | +7.4% |
| 2002 | 1.20 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.13 million tonnes | -5.5% |
| 2004 | 1.12 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 1.06 million tonnes | -5.7% |
| 2006 | 1.00 million tonnes | -5.5% |
| 2007 | 1.01 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 1.00 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 948,000 tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 1.02 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2011 | 1.02 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 1.00 million tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 999,000 tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 1.06 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 2015 | 1.05 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 1.03 million tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 1.04 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 1.03 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 1.04 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 967,000 tonnes | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 1.01 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 862,000 tonnes | -15.0% |
| 2023 | 871,000 tonnes | +1.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 871,000 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 83,582 tonnes, 10.4× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 871,000 tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 107,185 tonnes, 8.1× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 680,111 tonnes | 496,400 tonnes | 908,800 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.02 million tonnes | 789,200 tonnes | 1.31 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.52 million tonnes | 1.24 million tonnes | 1.65 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.34 million tonnes | 1.22 million tonnes | 1.52 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.08 million tonnes | 948,000 tonnes | 1.20 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.03 million tonnes | 999,000 tonnes | 1.06 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 928,500 tonnes | 862,000 tonnes | 1.01 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More agriculture & rural data for United Kingdom
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0064 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 368.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1852 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1668 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use in United Kingdom?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use in United Kingdom was 871,000 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 1.65 million tonnes in 1986.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 496,400 tonnes in 1961.
- How does United Kingdom rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- United Kingdom ranks 24th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.