Pesticide use per hectare of cropland in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Pesticide use per hectare of cropland was 0.7 kilograms per hectare in 2023. ▼ Falling
Pesticide use per hectare of cropland in Sri Lanka, 1990–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per hectare.
Analysis
The most recent figure for pesticide use per hectare of cropland in Sri Lanka is 0.7 kilograms per hectare, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 22.2% on the previous year and up 29.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pesticide use per hectare of cropland in Sri Lanka peaked at 1.17 kilograms per hectare in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.41 kilograms per hectare, in 2014.
Sri Lanka ranks 149th of 198 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Pesticide use per hectare of cropland in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | kilograms per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.83 kilograms per hectare | — |
| 1991 | 0.74 kilograms per hectare | -10.8% |
| 1992 | 1.13 kilograms per hectare | +52.7% |
| 1993 | 0.93 kilograms per hectare | -17.7% |
| 1994 | 0.99 kilograms per hectare | +6.5% |
| 1995 | 0.92 kilograms per hectare | -7.1% |
| 1996 | 0.88 kilograms per hectare | -4.3% |
| 1997 | 0.86 kilograms per hectare | -2.3% |
| 1998 | 0.81 kilograms per hectare | -5.8% |
| 1999 | 0.93 kilograms per hectare | +14.8% |
| 2000 | 0.89 kilograms per hectare | -4.3% |
| 2001 | 0.89 kilograms per hectare | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.89 kilograms per hectare | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.89 kilograms per hectare | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.94 kilograms per hectare | +5.6% |
| 2005 | 0.85 kilograms per hectare | -9.6% |
| 2006 | 0.88 kilograms per hectare | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 0.74 kilograms per hectare | -15.9% |
| 2008 | 0.53 kilograms per hectare | -28.4% |
| 2009 | 0.54 kilograms per hectare | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 0.67 kilograms per hectare | +24.1% |
| 2011 | 0.56 kilograms per hectare | -16.4% |
| 2012 | 0.48 kilograms per hectare | -14.3% |
| 2013 | 0.54 kilograms per hectare | +12.5% |
| 2014 | 0.41 kilograms per hectare | -24.1% |
| 2015 | 1.1 kilograms per hectare | +168.3% |
| 2016 | 0.83 kilograms per hectare | -24.5% |
| 2017 | 0.55 kilograms per hectare | -33.7% |
| 2018 | 0.95 kilograms per hectare | +72.7% |
| 2019 | 0.64 kilograms per hectare | -32.6% |
| 2020 | 1.08 kilograms per hectare | +68.8% |
| 2021 | 1.17 kilograms per hectare | +8.3% |
| 2022 | 0.9 kilograms per hectare | -23.1% |
| 2023 | 0.7 kilograms per hectare | -22.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.902 kilograms per hectare | 0.74 kilograms per hectare | 1.13 kilograms per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.804 kilograms per hectare | 0.53 kilograms per hectare | 0.94 kilograms per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.673 kilograms per hectare | 0.41 kilograms per hectare | 1.1 kilograms per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9625 kilograms per hectare | 0.7 kilograms per hectare | 1.17 kilograms per hectare | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 147 Saint Helena 0.73 kilograms per hectare compare
- 148 Algeria 0.71 kilograms per hectare compare
- 150 Kenya 0.69 kilograms per hectare compare
- 151 Somalia 0.66 kilograms per hectare compare
- 152 Tajikistan 0.65 kilograms per hectare compare
- 152 Tonga 0.65 kilograms per hectare compare
- 152 Tunisia 0.65 kilograms per hectare 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 pesticide use per hectare of cropland in Sri Lanka?
- Pesticide use per hectare of cropland in Sri Lanka was 0.7 kilograms per hectare in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest pesticide use per hectare of cropland recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 1.17 kilograms per hectare in 2021.
- What is the lowest pesticide use per hectare of cropland recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.41 kilograms per hectare in 2014.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for pesticide use per hectare of cropland?
- Sri Lanka ranks 149th out of 198 countries with data for 2023.
- Is pesticide use per hectare of cropland rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 Pesticide use per hectare of cropland. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average pesticide application per unit of cropland, measured in kilograms per hectare.