Nigeria vs South Africa: Insecticide use
Nigeria
13,227 tonnes
in 2023
South Africa
9,639 tonnes
in 2023
Nigeria rank
11th
South Africa rank
14th
Insecticide use over time
- Nigeria
- South Africa
How they compare
Nigeria currently reports 13,227 tonnes against 9,639 tonnes in South Africa, a difference of 3,588 tonnes.
That makes Nigeria's figure about 1.4 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was South Africa ahead.
Nigeria ranks 11th and South Africa ranks 14th of 211 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Nigeria averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1,685 tonnes | 4,662 tonnes | 2,976 tonnes | South Africa |
| 2000s | 3,872 tonnes | 6,674 tonnes | 2,802 tonnes | South Africa |
| 2010s | 10,378 tonnes | 8,422 tonnes | 1,956 tonnes | Nigeria |
| 2020s | 14,812 tonnes | 9,661 tonnes | 5,151 tonnes | Nigeria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher insecticide use, Nigeria or South Africa?
- Nigeria, at 13,227 tonnes against 9,639 tonnes in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in insecticide use between Nigeria and South Africa?
- 3,588 tonnes, with Nigeria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Africa?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do Nigeria and South Africa rank globally for insecticide use?
- Nigeria ranks 11th 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.