Insecticide use in Canada
Canada: Insecticide use was 4,245 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
4,245 tonnes
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
27th
of 211 countries
All-time high
5,089 tonnes
in 2016
All-time low
1,288 tonnes
in 2006
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Insecticide use in Canada, 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 Canada stood at 4,245 tonnes.
The figure is up 14.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, insecticide use in Canada peaked at 5,089 tonnes in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1,288 tonnes, in 2006.
Canada ranks 27th of 211 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Insecticide use in Canada, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2,913 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 3,041 tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1992 | 3,170 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1993 | 3,298 tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 3,426 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 3,193 tonnes | -6.8% |
| 1996 | 2,959 tonnes | -7.3% |
| 1997 | 2,726 tonnes | -7.9% |
| 1998 | 2,492 tonnes | -8.6% |
| 1999 | 2,259 tonnes | -9.3% |
| 2000 | 2,059 tonnes | -8.9% |
| 2001 | 1,923 tonnes | -6.6% |
| 2002 | 1,711 tonnes | -11.0% |
| 2003 | 2,848 tonnes | +66.5% |
| 2004 | 2,168 tonnes | -23.9% |
| 2005 | 1,455 tonnes | -32.9% |
| 2006 | 1,288 tonnes | -11.5% |
| 2007 | 2,149 tonnes | +66.8% |
| 2008 | 3,010 tonnes | +40.1% |
| 2009 | 2,525 tonnes | -16.1% |
| 2010 | 3,007 tonnes | +19.1% |
| 2011 | 3,164 tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 3,773 tonnes | +19.2% |
| 2013 | 3,708 tonnes | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 3,455 tonnes | -6.8% |
| 2015 | 3,703 tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2016 | 5,089 tonnes | +37.4% |
| 2017 | 4,261 tonnes | -16.3% |
| 2018 | 3,185 tonnes | -25.3% |
| 2019 | 3,406 tonnes | +6.9% |
| 2020 | 3,143 tonnes | -7.7% |
| 2021 | 4,816 tonnes | +53.2% |
| 2022 | 4,245 tonnes | -11.9% |
| 2023 | 4,245 tonnes | +0.0% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 4,245 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 90 tonnes, 47.2× the median. (73 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2,948 tonnes | 2,259 tonnes | 3,426 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,114 tonnes | 1,288 tonnes | 3,010 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 3,675 tonnes | 3,007 tonnes | 5,089 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,112 tonnes | 3,143 tonnes | 4,816 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More reference data data for Canada
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 6.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 22.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 99.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.88 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is insecticide use in Canada?
- Insecticide use in Canada was 4,245 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 5,089 tonnes in 2016.
- What is the lowest insecticide use recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,288 tonnes in 2006.
- How does Canada rank for insecticide use?
- Canada ranks 27th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is insecticide use rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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.