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Data

Fertilizer application rates over the long-run

About this data

Source
Food and Agriculture Organization and Federico (2017) – processed by Our World in Data
Last updated
January 1, 2017
Date range
1880–2014
Unit
kilograms per hectare

Sources and processing

This data is based on the following sources

Food and Agriculture Organization and Federico – Fertilizer use per hectare of land

This dataset on fertilizer consumption rates combines two data sources. Data for all countries from 2002 onwards is sourced from the World Bank World Development Indicators (WDI), available at https://data.worldbank.org/ (accessed 13 September 2017).

Long-term data for select countries from 1880 is taken from Table 6.3 in Giovanni Federico (2008) — "Feeding the World: An Economic History of Agriculture, 1800–2000," Princeton University Press. The original data sources cited by the author are: 1890–1957: Germany (1880, 1910, 1920, 1940, and 1960) — Historical Statistics 1975, series K193 and J53 (assuming an average content of nutrients of 17.5%); Japan (1898–1902, 1908–12, 1918–22, 1933–37, and 1958–62) — Hayami and Yamada 1991, Table A5; Belgium (1895, 1910, 1929, and 1960–61) — Blomme 1992, Table 48. Year 1937 is referred to as 1937–38 in the original source; likewise 1957 refers to 1957–58, and 1999 to 1998–2000.

All data is measured in kilograms of nutrient per hectare of arable land.

Retrieved on
January 1, 2017
Retrieved from
https://data.worldbank.org/
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) via World Bank World Development Indicators (WDI), 2017. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/. Federico, G. (2008). Feeding the World: An Economic History of Agriculture, 1800–2000. Princeton University Press.

This dataset on fertilizer consumption rates combines two data sources. Data for all countries from 2002 onwards is sourced from the World Bank World Development Indicators (WDI), available at https://data.worldbank.org/ (accessed 13 September 2017).

Long-term data for select countries from 1880 is taken from Table 6.3 in Giovanni Federico (2008) — "Feeding the World: An Economic History of Agriculture, 1800–2000," Princeton University Press. The original data sources cited by the author are: 1890–1957: Germany (1880, 1910, 1920, 1940, and 1960) — Historical Statistics 1975, series K193 and J53 (assuming an average content of nutrients of 17.5%); Japan (1898–1902, 1908–12, 1918–22, 1933–37, and 1958–62) — Hayami and Yamada 1991, Table A5; Belgium (1895, 1910, 1929, and 1960–61) — Blomme 1992, Table 48. Year 1937 is referred to as 1937–38 in the original source; likewise 1957 refers to 1957–58, and 1999 to 1998–2000.

All data is measured in kilograms of nutrient per hectare of arable land.

Retrieved on
January 1, 2017
Retrieved from
https://data.worldbank.org/
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) via World Bank World Development Indicators (WDI), 2017. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/. Federico, G. (2008). Feeding the World: An Economic History of Agriculture, 1800–2000. Princeton University Press.

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Citations

How to cite this page

To cite this page overall, including any descriptions, FAQs or explanations of the data authored by Our World in Data, please use the following citation:

“Data Page: Fertilizer application rates over the long-run”. Our World in Data (2026). Data adapted from Food and Agriculture Organization and Federico. Retrieved from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260511-092124/grapher/fertilizer-application-rates-over-the-long-run.html [online resource] (archived on May 11, 2026).

How to cite this data

In-line citationIf you have limited space (e.g. in data visualizations), you can use this abbreviated in-line citation:

Food and Agriculture Organization and Federico (2017) – processed by Our World in Data

Full citation

Food and Agriculture Organization and Federico (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. “Fertilizer application rates over the long-run” [dataset]. Food and Agriculture Organization and Federico, “Fertilizer use per hectare of land” [original data]. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260511-092124/grapher/fertilizer-application-rates-over-the-long-run.html (archived on May 11, 2026).

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