World: Fertilizer consumption (% of fertilizer production)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, World's fertilizer consumption (% of fertilizer production) rose 2.66 percentage points on 2022 (from 88.07% to 90.73%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.55 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 9.19 percentage points in 1975 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.92 percentage points in 1992. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 2% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

What this measures

Fertilizer consumption measures the quantity of plant nutrients and is calculated as production plus imports minus exports. Fertilizer products cover nitrogenous, potash, and phosphate fertilizers (including ground rock phosphate). Traditional nutrients--animal and plant manures--are not included. Because some chemical compounds used for fertilizers have other industrial applications, the consumption data may overstate the quantity available for crops. Fertilizer consumption as a share of production shows the agriculture sector's vulnerability to import and energy price fluctuation. Most fertilizers that are commonly used in agriculture contain the three basic plant nutrients-nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Some fertilizers also contain certain micronutrients such as zinc and other metals that are necessary for plant growth. Materials that are applied to the land primarily to enhance soil characteristics (rather than as plant food) are commonly referred to as soil amendments.

Limitations: The FAO has revised the time series for fertilizer consumption and irrigation for 2002 onward. FAO collects fertilizer statistics for production, imports, exports, and consumption through the new FAO fertilizer resources questionnaire. In the previous release, the data were based on total consumption of fertilizers, but the data in the recent release are based on the nutrients in fertilizers. Some countries compile fertilizer data on a calendar year basis, while others compile on a crop year basis (July-June).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 63 values

Fertilizer consumption (% of fertilizer production) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 880.19% (2024)
• Algeria — 14.48% (2024)
• Bahrain — 0.51% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 57.09% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 58.69% (2024)
• Iraq — 229.32% (2024)
• Israel — 2.32% (2024)
• Jordan — 1.05% (2024)
• Kuwait — 3.48% (2018)
• Lebanon

More environment data for World

• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 16.16% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 25.29% (2025)
• Rural population — 3.46 billion (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 42.17% (2025)
• Urban population — 4.75 billion (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 57.83% (2025)
• Fossil fuel energy consumption (% of total) — 80.06% (2024)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 141.41 million (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 94.4 million (2024)
• Total fisheries production (metric tons)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is World's fertilizer consumption (% of fertilizer production)?

90.73% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1961?

It is down 0.15 percentage points from 90.87% in 1961. The highest value was 100.31% in 1981 and the lowest 87.8% in 2015.

Is the latest change in fertilizer consumption (% of fertilizer production) unusual for World?

In 2023, World's fertilizer consumption (% of fertilizer production) rose 2.66 percentage points on 2022 (from 88.07% to 90.73%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.55 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator AG.CON.FERT.PT.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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