Cropland nutrient balance (Global, regional and country trends, 1961–2022)

FAO releases today the FAOSTAT update of cropland nutrient balance data, 1961–2022. These important statistics allow assess, for each country of the world, the impacts of fertilizers use in relation to the needs of crop production.

Along with information on individual input and output components of the nutrient balance, the FAOSTAT data provide information on nutrient use efficiency (NUE), a critical indicator that helps quantify deficits or surpluses of nutrient use in farmers fields. Not enough use of nutrients may lead to reductions in soil fertility; conversely, excess use leads to pollution problems, both locally and regionally in relation to soil and water pollution through leaching and runoff, and globally, in relation to emissions of greenhouse gases.

Better understanding of cropland nutrient budgets can help farmers, planners and policy makers identify and evaluate more sustainable agricultural practices. Indeed, NUE is a critical component of SDG Indicator 2.4.1 on productive and sustainable agriculture.

The 2024 update of the cropland nutrient balance sees the continued collaboration between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Fertilizer Association (IFA), in collaboration with academia, including scientists and experts at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, CEIGRAM-Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Wageningen University & Research, the University of Nebraska and the African Plant Nutrition Institute.

Main findings:

• At the global level, the cropland nutrient surplus in 2022 was 82 million tonnes (Mt) of nitrogen (N), 7 Mt of phosphorus (P), and 8 Mt of potassium (K) corresponding to 52 kg N per ha, 4 kg P per ha, and 5 kg K per ha of cropland.
• The Americas have accounted for more than half of the global total nitrogen from biological fixation since the 2000s.
• Asia contributed about 40 percent to the global surplus over the entire period and across all nutrients.
• High levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium use efficiencies in Africa indicate soil nutrient mining in many parts of the region.
• In Europe, a large proportion of total nutrient inputs come from manure applied to soils.
• Oceania had a small contribution to the world total, accounting for only 1–2 percent of total inputs and outputs for all nutrients over the whole period.

In depth

Data

 FAOSTAT cropland nutrient balance domain

Other related FAOSTAT data 

FAOSTAT Fertilizers by nutrient 

FAOSTAT Fertilizers Indicators

FAOSTAT Livestock Manure

FAOSTAT Emissions Totals

International Fertilizer Association (IFA) data

IFASTAT

Partners

 International Fertilizer Association

 University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

 Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

 CEIGRAM-Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

 Wageningen University & Research

 University of Nebraska

 African Plant Nutrition Institute