Nitrogen fertilizer use in United States
United States: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 11.43 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
11.43 million tonnes
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
3rd
of 202 countries
All-time high
12.25 million tonnes
in 2012
All-time low
2.96 million tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
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 202 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.
Nitrogen fertilizer use in United States, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.96 million tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 3.40 million tonnes | +14.9% |
| 1963 | 3.82 million tonnes | +12.5% |
| 1964 | 4.12 million tonnes | +7.9% |
| 1965 | 4.63 million tonnes | +12.2% |
| 1966 | 5.26 million tonnes | +13.7% |
| 1967 | 5.93 million tonnes | +12.8% |
| 1968 | 6.26 million tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1969 | 6.62 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1970 | 7.18 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 1971 | 7.31 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 7.44 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 8.05 million tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1974 | 7.97 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 8.90 million tonnes | +11.7% |
| 1976 | 9.59 million tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1977 | 9.24 million tonnes | -3.7% |
| 1978 | 9.49 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 10.14 million tonnes | +6.8% |
| 1980 | 10.66 million tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1981 | 10.25 million tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1982 | 8.84 million tonnes | -13.8% |
| 1983 | 9.47 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 1984 | 10.31 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1985 | 9.78 million tonnes | -5.1% |
| 1986 | 9.33 million tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1987 | 9.45 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 9.59 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 9.90 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 10.18 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 10.34 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 10.35 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 11.10 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 1994 | 10.91 million tonnes | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 10.99 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 11.19 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 11.18 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 11.25 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 11.22 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 10.70 million tonnes | -4.6% |
| 2001 | 10.75 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 10.97 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 11.82 million tonnes | +7.7% |
| 2004 | 11.19 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2005 | 10.93 million tonnes | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 11.97 million tonnes | +9.6% |
| 2007 | 11.40 million tonnes | -4.8% |
| 2008 | 10.40 million tonnes | -8.8% |
| 2009 | 11.10 million tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2010 | 11.62 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 12.23 million tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 12.25 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 12.06 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 11.80 million tonnes | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 11.83 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 11.64 million tonnes | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 11.58 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 11.89 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 11.76 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 11.93 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 11.72 million tonnes | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 11.43 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 11.43 million tonnes | +0.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 11.43 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 83,582 tonnes, 136.7× the median. (68 countries reporting)
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 (current US$), annual 11.96 % change on previous year (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0094 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 673.66 current US$ per person (2021)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.1831 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1981 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.9% (2021)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.9% (2021)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (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 202 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.