China vs India: Insecticide use
China
58,756 tonnes
in 2023
India
20,619 tonnes
in 2023
China rank
4th
India rank
6th
Insecticide use over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 58,756 tonnes against 20,619 tonnes in India, a difference of 38,137 tonnes.
That makes China's figure about 2.8 times India's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was India ahead.
China ranks 4th and India ranks 6th of 211 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 51,537 tonnes | 42,112 tonnes | 9,425 tonnes | China |
| 2000s | 74,167 tonnes | 19,308 tonnes | 54,859 tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 86,674 tonnes | 20,619 tonnes | 66,055 tonnes | China |
| 2020s | 62,290 tonnes | 20,619 tonnes | 41,671 tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher insecticide use, China or India?
- China, at 58,756 tonnes against 20,619 tonnes in India as of 2023.
- What is the difference in insecticide use between China and India?
- 38,137 tonnes, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do China and India rank globally for insecticide use?
- China ranks 4th and India ranks 6th 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.