Insecticide use in Belgium
Belgium: Insecticide use was 564 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Insecticide use in Belgium, 2000–2023
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 Belgium stood at 564 tonnes.
That represents a change of down 18.1% on the previous year and down 44.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, insecticide use in Belgium peaked at 1,129 tonnes in 2011 and was at its lowest, 374 tonnes, in 2007.
Belgium ranks 72nd of 211 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Insecticide use in Belgium, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 926 tonnes | — |
| 2001 | 893 tonnes | -3.6% |
| 2002 | 806 tonnes | -9.7% |
| 2003 | 839 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 848 tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 930 tonnes | +9.7% |
| 2006 | 652 tonnes | -29.9% |
| 2007 | 374 tonnes | -42.6% |
| 2008 | 460 tonnes | +23.0% |
| 2009 | 454 tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 606 tonnes | +33.5% |
| 2011 | 1,129 tonnes | +86.3% |
| 2012 | 1,034 tonnes | -8.4% |
| 2013 | 1,016 tonnes | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 1,085 tonnes | +6.8% |
| 2015 | 1,045 tonnes | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 929 tonnes | -11.1% |
| 2017 | 863 tonnes | -7.1% |
| 2018 | 778 tonnes | -9.8% |
| 2019 | 617 tonnes | -20.7% |
| 2020 | 746 tonnes | +20.9% |
| 2021 | 769 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 689 tonnes | -10.4% |
| 2023 | 564 tonnes | -18.1% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 564 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 90 tonnes, 6.3× the median. (73 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 564 tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 198 tonnes, 2.8× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Insecticide use in Belgium changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +86.3% | 606 tonnes | 1,129 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 718.2 tonnes | 374 tonnes | 930 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 910.2 tonnes | 606 tonnes | 1,129 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 692 tonnes | 564 tonnes | 769 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More reference data data for Belgium
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9298 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1382 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7526 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is insecticide use in Belgium?
- Insecticide use in Belgium was 564 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 Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 1,129 tonnes in 2011.
- What is the lowest insecticide use recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 374 tonnes in 2007.
- How does Belgium rank for insecticide use?
- Belgium ranks 72nd out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is insecticide use rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium 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 — 24 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.