Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in Lesotho
Lesotho: Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre was 0.0709 tonnes per square kilometre in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
0.0709 tonnes per square kilometre
Change on year
up 12.6%
World rank
139th
of 195 countries
All-time high
0.1617 tonnes per square kilometre
in 2001
All-time low
0.0003 tonnes per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in Lesotho, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per square kilometre.
Analysis
In 2023, nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in Lesotho stood at 0.0709 tonnes per square kilometre.
That represents a change of up 12.6% on the previous year and down 51.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in Lesotho peaked at 0.1617 tonnes per square kilometre in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.0003 tonnes per square kilometre, in 1961.
That places Lesotho 139th out of 195 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | tonnes per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.0003 tonnes per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 0.0008 tonnes per square kilometre | +150.0% |
| 1963 | 0.0006 tonnes per square kilometre | -24.0% |
| 1964 | 0.001 tonnes per square kilometre | +57.9% |
| 1965 | 0.0016 tonnes per square kilometre | +66.7% |
| 1966 | 0.0016 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.0033 tonnes per square kilometre | +100.0% |
| 1968 | 0.0005 tonnes per square kilometre | -84.0% |
| 1969 | 0.0008 tonnes per square kilometre | +43.8% |
| 1970 | 0.0008 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.7% |
| 1971 | 0.0012 tonnes per square kilometre | +48.0% |
| 1972 | 0.0012 tonnes per square kilometre | -5.4% |
| 1973 | 0.0044 tonnes per square kilometre | +285.7% |
| 1974 | 0.0045 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 0.0099 tonnes per square kilometre | +120.6% |
| 1976 | 0.0099 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.0165 tonnes per square kilometre | +66.7% |
| 1978 | 0.0132 tonnes per square kilometre | -20.0% |
| 1979 | 0.0132 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.0165 tonnes per square kilometre | +25.0% |
| 1981 | 0.0165 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.0165 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.0165 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.0198 tonnes per square kilometre | +20.0% |
| 1985 | 0.0033 tonnes per square kilometre | -83.3% |
| 1986 | 0.0033 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.0132 tonnes per square kilometre | +300.0% |
| 1988 | 0.0132 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.0165 tonnes per square kilometre | +25.0% |
| 1990 | 0.0165 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.0264 tonnes per square kilometre | +60.0% |
| 1992 | 0.0231 tonnes per square kilometre | -12.5% |
| 1993 | 0.0329 tonnes per square kilometre | +42.9% |
| 1994 | 0.0428 tonnes per square kilometre | +30.0% |
| 1995 | 0.0627 tonnes per square kilometre | +46.5% |
| 1996 | 0.0686 tonnes per square kilometre | +9.3% |
| 1997 | 0.0529 tonnes per square kilometre | -22.9% |
| 1998 | 0.0593 tonnes per square kilometre | +12.1% |
| 1999 | 0.0614 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 0.1126 tonnes per square kilometre | +83.6% |
| 2001 | 0.1617 tonnes per square kilometre | +43.6% |
| 2002 | 0.1072 tonnes per square kilometre | -33.7% |
| 2003 | 0.0677 tonnes per square kilometre | -36.8% |
| 2004 | 0.0172 tonnes per square kilometre | -74.5% |
| 2005 | 0.0048 tonnes per square kilometre | -72.1% |
| 2006 | 0.0275 tonnes per square kilometre | +471.2% |
| 2007 | 0.0324 tonnes per square kilometre | +18.1% |
| 2008 | 0.0112 tonnes per square kilometre | -65.5% |
| 2009 | 0.0165 tonnes per square kilometre | +47.1% |
| 2010 | 0.0083 tonnes per square kilometre | -49.4% |
| 2011 | 0.0589 tonnes per square kilometre | +607.1% |
| 2012 | 0.0214 tonnes per square kilometre | -63.7% |
| 2013 | 0.1454 tonnes per square kilometre | +580.3% |
| 2014 | 0.1527 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.0% |
| 2015 | 0.0493 tonnes per square kilometre | -67.7% |
| 2016 | 0.0501 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 0.0462 tonnes per square kilometre | -7.9% |
| 2018 | 0.1 tonnes per square kilometre | +116.6% |
| 2019 | 0.1007 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 0.09 tonnes per square kilometre | -10.6% |
| 2021 | 0.0989 tonnes per square kilometre | +9.8% |
| 2022 | 0.0629 tonnes per square kilometre | -36.3% |
| 2023 | 0.0709 tonnes per square kilometre | +12.6% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 0.0709 tonnes per square kilometre is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.2311 tonnes per square kilometre, 31% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 0.0709 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0709 tonnes per square kilometre, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in Lesotho changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +607.1% | 0.0083 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.0589 tonnes per square kilometre |
| 2013 | +580.3% | 0.0214 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.1454 tonnes per square kilometre |
| 2006 | +471.2% | 0.0048 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.0275 tonnes per square kilometre |
| 1987 | +300.0% | 0.0033 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.0132 tonnes per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0012 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.0003 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.0033 tonnes per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.0075 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.0008 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.0165 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0135 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.0033 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.0198 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0446 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.0165 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.0686 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0559 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.0048 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.1617 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0733 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.0083 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.1527 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0807 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.0629 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.0989 tonnes per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 136 Cameroon 0.0851 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 137 Bahrain 0.0797 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 138 Mozambique 0.0719 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 140 Guinea 0.0693 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 141 Guyana 0.0647 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 142 Sudan 0.0645 tonnes per square kilometre compare
More agriculture & rural data for Lesotho
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0649 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 70.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6715 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5533 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 5.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in Lesotho?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in Lesotho was 0.0709 tonnes per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1617 tonnes per square kilometre in 2001.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0003 tonnes per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does Lesotho rank for nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre?
- Lesotho ranks 139th out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 51.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho 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.