Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in United States
United States: Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre was 1.25 tonnes per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.25 tonnes per square kilometre
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
48th
of 195 countries
All-time high
1.34 tonnes per square kilometre
in 2012
All-time low
0.3227 tonnes per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in United States, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in United States is 1.25 tonnes per square kilometre, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in United States peaked at 1.34 tonnes per square kilometre in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.3227 tonnes per square kilometre, in 1961.
United States ranks 48th 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 United States, year by year
| Year | tonnes per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.3227 tonnes per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 0.3709 tonnes per square kilometre | +14.9% |
| 1963 | 0.4173 tonnes per square kilometre | +12.5% |
| 1964 | 0.4501 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.9% |
| 1965 | 0.5051 tonnes per square kilometre | +12.2% |
| 1966 | 0.5741 tonnes per square kilometre | +13.7% |
| 1967 | 0.6475 tonnes per square kilometre | +12.8% |
| 1968 | 0.6836 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.6% |
| 1969 | 0.7224 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.7% |
| 1970 | 0.7836 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.5% |
| 1971 | 0.7982 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 0.8127 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 0.8788 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.1% |
| 1974 | 0.8701 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 0.9721 tonnes per square kilometre | +11.7% |
| 1976 | 1.05 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.7% |
| 1977 | 1.01 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.7% |
| 1978 | 1.04 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 1.11 tonnes per square kilometre | +6.8% |
| 1980 | 1.16 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.1% |
| 1981 | 1.12 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.9% |
| 1982 | 0.9647 tonnes per square kilometre | -13.8% |
| 1983 | 1.03 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.2% |
| 1984 | 1.13 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.8% |
| 1985 | 1.07 tonnes per square kilometre | -5.1% |
| 1986 | 1.02 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.6% |
| 1987 | 1.03 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 1.05 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 1.08 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 1.11 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 1.13 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 1.13 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 1.21 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.2% |
| 1994 | 1.19 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 1.2 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 1.22 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 1.22 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 1.23 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 1.23 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 1.17 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.7% |
| 2001 | 1.17 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 1.2 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 1.29 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.7% |
| 2004 | 1.22 tonnes per square kilometre | -5.3% |
| 2005 | 1.19 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 1.31 tonnes per square kilometre | +9.6% |
| 2007 | 1.24 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.8% |
| 2008 | 1.14 tonnes per square kilometre | -8.6% |
| 2009 | 1.21 tonnes per square kilometre | +6.7% |
| 2010 | 1.27 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 1.34 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 1.34 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 1.32 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 1.29 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 1.29 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 1.27 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 1.27 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 1.3 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 1.29 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 1.3 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 1.28 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 1.25 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 1.25 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 1.25 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.7098 tonnes per square kilometre, 1.8× the median. (68 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.5215 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.3227 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.7224 tonnes per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.9315 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.7836 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.11 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.07 tonnes per square kilometre | 0.9647 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.16 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.19 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.11 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.23 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.21 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.14 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.31 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.3 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.27 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.34 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.27 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.25 tonnes per square kilometre | 1.3 tonnes per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 45 Greece 1.35 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 46 Latvia 1.29 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 47 Egypt 1.28 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 49 Slovenia 1.24 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 50 Malaysia 1.21 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 51 Austria 1.18 tonnes per square kilometre compare
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, per square kilometre in United States?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre in United States was 1.25 tonnes per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 1.34 tonnes per square kilometre in 2012.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3227 tonnes per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does United States rank for nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre?
- United States ranks 48th out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use, per square kilometre 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 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.