Nitrogen fertilizer use in USSR

USSR: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 7.78 million tonnes in 1991. ◆ Volatile

Latest (1991)
7.78 million tonnes
Change on year
down 11.0%
Rank
1st
of 1 groups
All-time high
11.79 million tonnes
in 1987
All-time low
859,000 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
31
1961–1991

Nitrogen fertilizer use in USSR, 1961–1991

02.5M5.0M7.5M10.0M12.5M1961197619911961: 859.0k tonnes1962: 1.1M tonnes1963: 1.4M tonnes1964: 1.8M tonnes1965: 2.3M tonnes1966: 2.7M tonnes1967: 3.1M tonnes1968: 3.5M tonnes1969: 3.8M tonnes1970: 4.6M tonnes1971: 5.2M tonnes1972: 5.6M tonnes1973: 6.2M tonnes1974: 6.7M tonnes1975: 7.3M tonnes1976: 7.3M tonnes1977: 7.5M tonnes1978: 7.7M tonnes1979: 7.5M tonnes1980: 8.3M tonnes1981: 8.4M tonnes1982: 9.0M tonnes1983: 10.3M tonnes1984: 10.3M tonnes1985: 10.9M tonnes1986: 11.5M tonnes1987: 11.8M tonnes1988: 11.6M tonnes1989: 9.9M tonnes1990: 8.7M tonnes1991: 7.8M tonnes

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

In 1991, nitrogen fertilizer use in USSR stood at 7.78 million tonnes.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.0% on the previous year and down 7.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in USSR peaked at 11.79 million tonnes in 1987 and was at its lowest, 859,000 tonnes, in 1961.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 2.26 million tonnes 859,000 tonnes 3.80 million tonnes 9
1970s 6.56 million tonnes 4.61 million tonnes 7.66 million tonnes 10
1980s 10.20 million tonnes 8.26 million tonnes 11.79 million tonnes 10
1990s 8.26 million tonnes 7.78 million tonnes 8.74 million tonnes 2

Countries ranked near USSR

  1. 1 China 24.55 million tonnes compare
  2. 2 India 20.46 million tonnes compare
  3. 3 United States 11.43 million tonnes compare
  4. 4 Brazil 6.40 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More agriculture & rural data for USSR

All data for USSR →

Frequently asked questions

What is nitrogen fertilizer use in USSR?
Nitrogen fertilizer use in USSR was 7.78 million tonnes in 1991, 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 USSR?
The highest recorded value was 11.79 million tonnes in 1987.
What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in USSR?
The lowest recorded value was 859,000 tonnes in 1961.
How does USSR rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
USSR ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 1991.
Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in USSR?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this USSR 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 — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Nitrogen fertilizer use
Unit
tonnes
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 10,271 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Measures total nitrogen inputs, including synthetic fertilizers alongside organic inputs from manure and crop fixation. Measured in tonnes of nitrogen.