Insecticide use in India
India: Insecticide use was 20,619 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Insecticide use in India, 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 India stood at 20,619 tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, insecticide use in India peaked at 57,945 tonnes in 1990 and was at its lowest, 3,278 tonnes, in 2008.
India ranks 6th of 211 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Insecticide use in India, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 57,945 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 54,420 tonnes | -6.1% |
| 1992 | 51,659 tonnes | -5.1% |
| 1993 | 46,827 tonnes | -9.4% |
| 1994 | 41,994 tonnes | -10.3% |
| 1995 | 40,045 tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1996 | 35,486 tonnes | -11.4% |
| 1997 | 33,419 tonnes | -5.8% |
| 1998 | 30,359 tonnes | -9.2% |
| 1999 | 28,968 tonnes | -4.6% |
| 2000 | 27,400 tonnes | -5.4% |
| 2001 | 25,831 tonnes | -5.7% |
| 2002 | 24,263 tonnes | -6.1% |
| 2003 | 22,694 tonnes | -6.5% |
| 2004 | 21,489 tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2005 | 21,783 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 16,913 tonnes | -22.4% |
| 2007 | 14,618 tonnes | -13.6% |
| 2008 | 3,278 tonnes | -77.6% |
| 2009 | 14,810 tonnes | +351.8% |
| 2010 | 20,619 tonnes | +39.2% |
| 2011 | 20,619 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 20,619 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 20,619 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 20,619 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 20,619 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 20,619 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 20,619 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 20,619 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 20,619 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 20,619 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 20,619 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 20,619 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 20,619 tonnes | +0.0% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 20,619 tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 351.5 tonnes, 58.7× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- India's 20,619 tonnes is above the median for South Asia, which is 307 tonnes, 67.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Insecticide use in India 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +351.8% | 3,278 tonnes | 14,810 tonnes |
| 2008 | -77.6% | 14,618 tonnes | 3,278 tonnes |
| 2010 | +39.2% | 14,810 tonnes | 20,619 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42,112 tonnes | 28,968 tonnes | 57,945 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 19,308 tonnes | 3,278 tonnes | 27,400 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 20,619 tonnes | 20,619 tonnes | 20,619 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 20,619 tonnes | 20,619 tonnes | 20,619 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More reference data data for India
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 20.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 68.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 70.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 309.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 85.03 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is insecticide use in India?
- Insecticide use in India was 20,619 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 57,945 tonnes in 1990.
- What is the lowest insecticide use recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,278 tonnes in 2008.
- How does India rank for insecticide use?
- India ranks 6th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is insecticide use rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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.