Australia vs South Africa: Insecticide use
Australia
11,511 tonnes
in 2023
South Africa
9,639 tonnes
in 2023
Australia rank
12th
South Africa rank
14th
Insecticide use over time
- Australia
- South Africa
How they compare
Australia currently reports 11,511 tonnes against 9,639 tonnes in South Africa, a difference of 1,872 tonnes.
That makes Australia's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was South Africa ahead.
Australia ranks 12th and South Africa ranks 14th of 211 countries.
Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5,947 tonnes | 4,662 tonnes | 1,285 tonnes | Australia |
| 2000s | 7,727 tonnes | 6,674 tonnes | 1,052 tonnes | Australia |
| 2010s | 11,127 tonnes | 8,422 tonnes | 2,706 tonnes | Australia |
| 2020s | 11,398 tonnes | 9,661 tonnes | 1,737 tonnes | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher insecticide use, Australia or South Africa?
- Australia, at 11,511 tonnes against 9,639 tonnes in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in insecticide use between Australia and South Africa?
- 1,872 tonnes, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Africa?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do Australia and South Africa rank globally for insecticide use?
- Australia ranks 12th and South Africa ranks 14th of 211 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Insecticide use. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual quantity of insecticides used in agriculture, measured as the tonnes of active ingredient per year.