Insecticide use in Australia
Australia: Insecticide use was 11,511 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
11,511 tonnes
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
12th
of 211 countries
All-time high
14,196 tonnes
in 2016
All-time low
3,999 tonnes
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Insecticide use in Australia, 1990–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, insecticide use in Australia stood at 11,511 tonnes.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, insecticide use in Australia peaked at 14,196 tonnes in 2016 and was at its lowest, 3,999 tonnes, in 1990.
Australia ranks 12th of 211 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Insecticide use in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3,999 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 3,999 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 4,977 tonnes | +24.5% |
| 1993 | 5,350 tonnes | +7.5% |
| 1994 | 4,713 tonnes | -11.9% |
| 1995 | 5,730 tonnes | +21.6% |
| 1996 | 6,214 tonnes | +8.4% |
| 1997 | 7,146 tonnes | +15.0% |
| 1998 | 8,638 tonnes | +20.9% |
| 1999 | 8,700 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 7,493 tonnes | -13.9% |
| 2001 | 7,322 tonnes | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 5,966 tonnes | -18.5% |
| 2003 | 7,257 tonnes | +21.6% |
| 2004 | 8,120 tonnes | +11.9% |
| 2005 | 7,680 tonnes | -5.4% |
| 2006 | 8,036 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2007 | 7,263 tonnes | -9.6% |
| 2008 | 9,611 tonnes | +32.3% |
| 2009 | 8,521 tonnes | -11.3% |
| 2010 | 9,439 tonnes | +10.8% |
| 2011 | 10,662 tonnes | +13.0% |
| 2012 | 10,899 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 10,113 tonnes | -7.2% |
| 2014 | 11,160 tonnes | +10.4% |
| 2015 | 11,399 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 14,196 tonnes | +24.5% |
| 2017 | 11,060 tonnes | -22.1% |
| 2018 | 11,135 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 11,210 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 11,285 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 11,361 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 11,436 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 11,511 tonnes | +0.7% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 11,511 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 90 tonnes, 127.9× the median. (73 countries reporting)
- Australia's 11,511 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 22 tonnes, 523.2× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5,947 tonnes | 3,999 tonnes | 8,700 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 7,727 tonnes | 5,966 tonnes | 9,611 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 11,127 tonnes | 9,439 tonnes | 14,196 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 11,398 tonnes | 11,285 tonnes | 11,511 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is insecticide use in Australia?
- Insecticide use in Australia was 11,511 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest insecticide use recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 14,196 tonnes in 2016.
- What is the lowest insecticide use recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,999 tonnes in 1990.
- How does Australia rank for insecticide use?
- Australia ranks 12th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is insecticide use rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Insecticide use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual quantity of insecticides used in agriculture, measured as the tonnes of active ingredient per year.