Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre was 1.93 tonnes per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka is 1.93 tonnes per square kilometre, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka peaked at 3.87 tonnes per square kilometre in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.5755 tonnes per square kilometre, in 1963.
Sri Lanka ranks 31st of 195 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | tonnes per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.5811 tonnes per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 0.7251 tonnes per square kilometre | +24.8% |
| 1963 | 0.5755 tonnes per square kilometre | -20.6% |
| 1964 | 0.6136 tonnes per square kilometre | +6.6% |
| 1965 | 0.6774 tonnes per square kilometre | +10.4% |
| 1966 | 0.7176 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.9% |
| 1967 | 0.6929 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.4% |
| 1968 | 0.8903 tonnes per square kilometre | +28.5% |
| 1969 | 0.7814 tonnes per square kilometre | -12.2% |
| 1970 | 0.8133 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.1% |
| 1971 | 0.9089 tonnes per square kilometre | +11.8% |
| 1972 | 0.8165 tonnes per square kilometre | -10.2% |
| 1973 | 0.9058 tonnes per square kilometre | +10.9% |
| 1974 | 0.8818 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 1975 | 0.6395 tonnes per square kilometre | -27.5% |
| 1976 | 0.834 tonnes per square kilometre | +30.4% |
| 1977 | 1.04 tonnes per square kilometre | +25.0% |
| 1978 | 1.29 tonnes per square kilometre | +23.7% |
| 1979 | 1.23 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.6% |
| 1980 | 1.46 tonnes per square kilometre | +18.7% |
| 1981 | 1.25 tonnes per square kilometre | -14.3% |
| 1982 | 1.27 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 1.32 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.5% |
| 1984 | 1.6 tonnes per square kilometre | +20.8% |
| 1985 | 1.62 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 1.58 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 1.66 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.7% |
| 1988 | 1.69 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 1.73 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 1.47 tonnes per square kilometre | -14.9% |
| 1991 | 1.53 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 1.63 tonnes per square kilometre | +6.6% |
| 1993 | 1.83 tonnes per square kilometre | +12.6% |
| 1994 | 1.97 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.6% |
| 1995 | 1.85 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.4% |
| 1996 | 1.87 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 1.95 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.2% |
| 1998 | 2.27 tonnes per square kilometre | +16.1% |
| 1999 | 2.61 tonnes per square kilometre | +15.2% |
| 2000 | 2.51 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 2.53 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 3 tonnes per square kilometre | +18.9% |
| 2003 | 2.4 tonnes per square kilometre | -20.0% |
| 2004 | 2.6 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.3% |
| 2005 | 2.9 tonnes per square kilometre | +11.2% |
| 2006 | 2.79 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 2.58 tonnes per square kilometre | -7.8% |
| 2008 | 3.34 tonnes per square kilometre | +29.6% |
| 2009 | 2.9 tonnes per square kilometre | -13.2% |
| 2010 | 2.65 tonnes per square kilometre | -8.6% |
| 2011 | 3.34 tonnes per square kilometre | +26.1% |
| 2012 | 2.62 tonnes per square kilometre | -21.5% |
| 2013 | 2.04 tonnes per square kilometre | -22.2% |
| 2014 | 3.63 tonnes per square kilometre | +78.4% |
| 2015 | 2.42 tonnes per square kilometre | -33.3% |
| 2016 | 1.9 tonnes per square kilometre | -21.5% |
| 2017 | 1.77 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.8% |
| 2018 | 1.11 tonnes per square kilometre | -37.2% |
| 2019 | 2.32 tonnes per square kilometre | +108.8% |
| 2020 | 3.87 tonnes per square kilometre | +66.5% |
| 2021 | 1.93 tonnes per square kilometre | -50.2% |
| 2022 | 1.93 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.93 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 1.93 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.4782 tonnes per square kilometre, 4.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 1.93 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for South Asia, which is 1.36 tonnes per square kilometre, 1.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +108.8% | 1.11 tonnes per square kilometre | 2.32 tonnes per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.695 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.5755 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.8903 tonnes per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.9364 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.6395 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.29 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.52 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.25 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.73 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.9 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.47 tonnes per square kilometre | 2.61 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.76 tonnes per square kilometre | 2.4 tonnes per square kilometre | 3.34 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.38 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.11 tonnes per square kilometre | 3.63 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.41 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.93 tonnes per square kilometre | 3.87 tonnes per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 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
- 32 Italy 1.93 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 33 Malta 1.83 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 34 El Salvador 1.8 tonnes per square kilometre compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in Sri Lanka was 1.93 tonnes per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 3.87 tonnes per square kilometre in 2020.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5755 tonnes per square kilometre in 1963.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre?
- Sri Lanka ranks 31st out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.