Pesticide use per hectare of cropland in United States of America
United States of America: Pesticide use per hectare of cropland was 2.78 kilograms per hectare in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2.78 kilograms per hectare
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
85th
of 198 countries
All-time high
2.87 kilograms per hectare
in 2018
All-time low
2.1 kilograms per hectare
in 1991
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Pesticide use per hectare of cropland in United States of America, 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
United States of America recorded 2.78 kilograms per hectare for pesticide use per hectare of cropland in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pesticide use per hectare of cropland in United States of America peaked at 2.87 kilograms per hectare in 2018 and was at its lowest, 2.1 kilograms per hectare, in 1991.
United States of America ranks 85th of 198 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Pesticide use per hectare of cropland in United States of America, year by year
| Year | kilograms per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.13 kilograms per hectare | — |
| 1991 | 2.1 kilograms per hectare | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 2.16 kilograms per hectare | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 2.11 kilograms per hectare | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 2.31 kilograms per hectare | +9.5% |
| 1995 | 2.3 kilograms per hectare | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 2.39 kilograms per hectare | +3.9% |
| 1997 | 2.4 kilograms per hectare | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 2.37 kilograms per hectare | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 2.44 kilograms per hectare | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 2.41 kilograms per hectare | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 2.31 kilograms per hectare | -4.1% |
| 2002 | 2.35 kilograms per hectare | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 2.35 kilograms per hectare | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2.44 kilograms per hectare | +3.8% |
| 2005 | 2.42 kilograms per hectare | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 2.36 kilograms per hectare | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 2.43 kilograms per hectare | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 2.32 kilograms per hectare | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 2.22 kilograms per hectare | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 2.34 kilograms per hectare | +5.4% |
| 2011 | 2.46 kilograms per hectare | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 2.59 kilograms per hectare | +5.3% |
| 2013 | 2.65 kilograms per hectare | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 2.6 kilograms per hectare | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 2.66 kilograms per hectare | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 2.82 kilograms per hectare | +6.0% |
| 2017 | 2.8 kilograms per hectare | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 2.87 kilograms per hectare | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 2.81 kilograms per hectare | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 2.8 kilograms per hectare | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 2.81 kilograms per hectare | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 2.76 kilograms per hectare | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 2.78 kilograms per hectare | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.27 kilograms per hectare | 2.1 kilograms per hectare | 2.44 kilograms per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.36 kilograms per hectare | 2.22 kilograms per hectare | 2.44 kilograms per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.66 kilograms per hectare | 2.34 kilograms per hectare | 2.87 kilograms per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.79 kilograms per hectare | 2.76 kilograms per hectare | 2.81 kilograms per hectare | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 82 Slovenia 2.98 kilograms per hectare compare
- 83 Egypt 2.87 kilograms per hectare compare
- 84 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 2.79 kilograms per hectare compare
- 86 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 2.71 kilograms per hectare compare
- 87 Mayotte 2.7 kilograms per hectare compare
- 88 Canada 2.5 kilograms per hectare compare
More agriculture & rural data for United States of America
- 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 pesticide use per hectare of cropland in United States of America?
- Pesticide use per hectare of cropland in United States of America was 2.78 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 United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 2.87 kilograms per hectare in 2018.
- What is the lowest pesticide use per hectare of cropland recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1 kilograms per hectare in 1991.
- How does United States of America rank for pesticide use per hectare of cropland?
- United States of America ranks 85th out of 198 countries with data for 2023.
- Is pesticide use per hectare of cropland rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America 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.