Nitrogen fertilizer use in United States
United States: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 11.43 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Nitrogen fertilizer use in United States, 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 United States stood at 11.43 million tonnes.
The figure is down 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in United States peaked at 12.25 million tonnes in 2012 and was at its lowest, 2.96 million tonnes, in 1961.
That places United States 3rd out of 201 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.78 million tonnes | 2.96 million tonnes | 6.62 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 8.53 million tonnes | 7.18 million tonnes | 10.14 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.76 million tonnes | 8.84 million tonnes | 10.66 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.87 million tonnes | 10.18 million tonnes | 11.25 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.12 million tonnes | 10.40 million tonnes | 11.97 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.87 million tonnes | 11.58 million tonnes | 12.25 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.63 million tonnes | 11.43 million tonnes | 11.93 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More agriculture & rural data for United States
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 223.72 billion current US$ (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 0.9% (2021)
- Rural population 67.70 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.2% (2025)
- Rural population 19.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.9% (2021)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.9% (2021)
- Land under cereal production 54.08 million hectares (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use in United States?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use in United States was 11.43 million 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 States?
- The highest recorded value was 12.25 million tonnes in 2012.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.96 million tonnes in 1961.
- How does United States rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- United States ranks 3rd out of 201 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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.