Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in South Korea
South Korea: Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre was 2.17 tonnes per square kilometre in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
2.17 tonnes per square kilometre
Change on year
down 12.7%
World rank
27th
of 195 countries
All-time high
5.26 tonnes per square kilometre
in 1997
All-time low
1.8 tonnes per square kilometre
in 1964
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in South Korea, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in South Korea is 2.17 tonnes per square kilometre, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 12.7% on the previous year and down 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in South Korea peaked at 5.26 tonnes per square kilometre in 1997 and was at its lowest, 1.8 tonnes per square kilometre, in 1964.
South Korea ranks 27th of 195 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in South Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.25 tonnes per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 2.07 tonnes per square kilometre | -7.8% |
| 1963 | 2.07 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 1.8 tonnes per square kilometre | -13.1% |
| 1965 | 2.09 tonnes per square kilometre | +16.1% |
| 1966 | 2.48 tonnes per square kilometre | +19.2% |
| 1967 | 2.88 tonnes per square kilometre | +15.8% |
| 1968 | 2.96 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.0% |
| 1969 | 3.32 tonnes per square kilometre | +12.0% |
| 1970 | 3.69 tonnes per square kilometre | +11.1% |
| 1971 | 3.6 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.3% |
| 1972 | 3.86 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.3% |
| 1973 | 4.26 tonnes per square kilometre | +10.4% |
| 1974 | 4.64 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.8% |
| 1975 | 4.85 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.5% |
| 1976 | 3.75 tonnes per square kilometre | -22.7% |
| 1977 | 4.02 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.4% |
| 1978 | 4.79 tonnes per square kilometre | +19.0% |
| 1979 | 4.6 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.8% |
| 1980 | 4.64 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 4.48 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.4% |
| 1982 | 3.2 tonnes per square kilometre | -28.5% |
| 1983 | 3.81 tonnes per square kilometre | +19.1% |
| 1984 | 4.17 tonnes per square kilometre | +9.4% |
| 1985 | 4.42 tonnes per square kilometre | +6.0% |
| 1986 | 4.51 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 4.65 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 1988 | 4.77 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 5.24 tonnes per square kilometre | +9.9% |
| 1990 | 5.24 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 4.91 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.3% |
| 1992 | 5.04 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 4.95 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 4.92 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 4.96 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 4.73 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.6% |
| 1997 | 5.26 tonnes per square kilometre | +11.2% |
| 1998 | 4.68 tonnes per square kilometre | -11.0% |
| 1999 | 4.44 tonnes per square kilometre | -5.0% |
| 2000 | 4.27 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 3.87 tonnes per square kilometre | -9.2% |
| 2002 | 3.68 tonnes per square kilometre | -5.0% |
| 2003 | 3.73 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 3.99 tonnes per square kilometre | +6.9% |
| 2005 | 4.31 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.1% |
| 2006 | 3.17 tonnes per square kilometre | -26.5% |
| 2007 | 3.58 tonnes per square kilometre | +13.1% |
| 2008 | 2.95 tonnes per square kilometre | -17.6% |
| 2009 | 2.33 tonnes per square kilometre | -21.2% |
| 2010 | 2.22 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.9% |
| 2011 | 2.28 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 2.38 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.7% |
| 2013 | 2.3 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 2.27 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 2.18 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 2.2 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 2.15 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 2.22 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 2.17 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 2.35 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.3% |
| 2021 | 2.17 tonnes per square kilometre | -7.4% |
| 2022 | 2.48 tonnes per square kilometre | +14.2% |
| 2023 | 2.17 tonnes per square kilometre | -12.7% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 2.17 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.7098 tonnes per square kilometre, 3.1× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 2.17 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.1534 tonnes per square kilometre, 14.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.43 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.8 tonnes per square kilometre | 3.32 tonnes per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.21 tonnes per square kilometre | 3.6 tonnes per square kilometre | 4.85 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.39 tonnes per square kilometre | 3.2 tonnes per square kilometre | 5.24 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.91 tonnes per square kilometre | 4.44 tonnes per square kilometre | 5.26 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.59 tonnes per square kilometre | 2.33 tonnes per square kilometre | 4.31 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.24 tonnes per square kilometre | 2.15 tonnes per square kilometre | 2.38 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.29 tonnes per square kilometre | 2.17 tonnes per square kilometre | 2.48 tonnes per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 24 Slovakia 2.24 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 25 Philippines 2.19 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 26 Uzbekistan 2.18 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 28 Moldova 2.09 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 29 Lithuania 2.03 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 30 Romania 2.02 tonnes per square kilometre compare
More agriculture & rural data for South Korea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.2516 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0146 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 530.46 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1591 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1883 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 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in South Korea?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in South Korea was 2.17 tonnes per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 5.26 tonnes per square kilometre in 1997.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8 tonnes per square kilometre in 1964.
- How does South Korea rank for nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre?
- South Korea ranks 27th out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Nitrogen fertilizer use divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Nitrogen fertilizer use ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Nitrogen fertilizer use Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Nitrogen fertilizer use divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.