Insecticide use in Hong Kong
Hong Kong: Insecticide use was 22 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
22 tonnes
Change on year
up 22.2%
World rank
154th
of 211 countries
All-time high
74 tonnes
in 1990
All-time low
14 tonnes
in 2010
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Insecticide use in Hong Kong, 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 Hong Kong stood at 22 tonnes.
That represents a change of up 22.2% on the previous year and up 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, insecticide use in Hong Kong peaked at 74 tonnes in 1990 and was at its lowest, 14 tonnes, in 2010.
That places Hong Kong 154th out of 211 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Insecticide use in Hong Kong, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 74 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 61 tonnes | -17.6% |
| 1992 | 43 tonnes | -29.5% |
| 1993 | 38 tonnes | -11.6% |
| 1994 | 34 tonnes | -10.5% |
| 1995 | 28 tonnes | -17.6% |
| 1996 | 26 tonnes | -7.1% |
| 1997 | 24 tonnes | -7.7% |
| 1998 | 23 tonnes | -4.2% |
| 1999 | 21 tonnes | -8.7% |
| 2000 | 19 tonnes | -9.5% |
| 2001 | 20 tonnes | +5.3% |
| 2002 | 30 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 2003 | 41 tonnes | +36.7% |
| 2004 | 26 tonnes | -36.6% |
| 2005 | 23 tonnes | -11.5% |
| 2006 | 23 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 23 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 28 tonnes | +21.7% |
| 2009 | 20 tonnes | -28.6% |
| 2010 | 14 tonnes | -30.0% |
| 2011 | 29 tonnes | +107.1% |
| 2012 | 32 tonnes | +10.3% |
| 2013 | 20 tonnes | -37.5% |
| 2014 | 25 tonnes | +25.0% |
| 2015 | 24 tonnes | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 29 tonnes | +20.8% |
| 2017 | 23 tonnes | -20.7% |
| 2018 | 32 tonnes | +39.1% |
| 2019 | 24 tonnes | -25.0% |
| 2020 | 14 tonnes | -41.7% |
| 2021 | 17 tonnes | +21.4% |
| 2022 | 18 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 2023 | 22 tonnes | +22.2% |
Hong Kong compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong's 22 tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 90 tonnes, 24% of the median. (73 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong's 22 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 22 tonnes, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 37.2 tonnes | 21 tonnes | 74 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.3 tonnes | 19 tonnes | 41 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.2 tonnes | 14 tonnes | 32 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.75 tonnes | 14 tonnes | 22 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong
- 151 Guinea 27 tonnes compare
- 151 North Macedonia 27 tonnes compare
- 153 Niger 26 tonnes compare
- 154 Seychelles 22 tonnes compare
- 156 Equatorial Guinea 21 tonnes compare
- 157 Bermuda 19 tonnes compare
- 157 Samoa 19 tonnes compare
More reference data data for Hong Kong
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 6.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0012 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0011 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Crop Residues 0.0002 (1990)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Enteric Fermentation 6.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 20.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure left on Pasture 1.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 11.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Burning - Crop 0 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0041 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is insecticide use in Hong Kong?
- Insecticide use in Hong Kong was 22 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 Hong Kong?
- The highest recorded value was 74 tonnes in 1990.
- What is the lowest insecticide use recorded in Hong Kong?
- The lowest recorded value was 14 tonnes in 2010.
- How does Hong Kong rank for insecticide use?
- Hong Kong ranks 154th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is insecticide use rising or falling in Hong Kong?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Hong Kong 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.