Insecticide use in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Insecticide use was 307 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Insecticide use in Saudi Arabia, 1990–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 307 tonnes for insecticide use in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is down 86.2% on the previous year and down 90.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, insecticide use in Saudi Arabia peaked at 4,944 tonnes in 2019 and was at its lowest, 307 tonnes, in 2023.
Saudi Arabia ranks 94th of 211 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Insecticide use in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 432 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 432 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 432 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 432 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 432 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 432 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 432 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1,073 tonnes | +148.4% |
| 1998 | 1,219 tonnes | +13.6% |
| 1999 | 1,364 tonnes | +11.9% |
| 2000 | 1,510 tonnes | +10.7% |
| 2001 | 1,656 tonnes | +9.7% |
| 2002 | 1,801 tonnes | +8.8% |
| 2003 | 1,947 tonnes | +8.1% |
| 2004 | 2,093 tonnes | +7.5% |
| 2005 | 2,238 tonnes | +6.9% |
| 2006 | 2,384 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 2007 | 2,530 tonnes | +6.1% |
| 2008 | 2,630 tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 2,730 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 2,830 tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 2,930 tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 3,030 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 3,131 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 3,433 tonnes | +9.6% |
| 2015 | 3,735 tonnes | +8.8% |
| 2016 | 4,037 tonnes | +8.1% |
| 2017 | 4,340 tonnes | +7.5% |
| 2018 | 4,642 tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2019 | 4,944 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 2020 | 1,893 tonnes | -61.7% |
| 2021 | 2,060 tonnes | +8.8% |
| 2022 | 2,228 tonnes | +8.2% |
| 2023 | 307 tonnes | -86.2% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 307 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 90 tonnes, 3.4× the median. (73 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 307 tonnes is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 367 tonnes, 84% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Insecticide use in Saudi Arabia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +148.4% | 432 tonnes | 1,073 tonnes |
| 2023 | -86.2% | 2,228 tonnes | 307 tonnes |
| 2020 | -61.7% | 4,944 tonnes | 1,893 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 668 tonnes | 432 tonnes | 1,364 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,152 tonnes | 1,510 tonnes | 2,730 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 3,705 tonnes | 2,830 tonnes | 4,944 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,622 tonnes | 307 tonnes | 2,228 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 91 Macao 318 tonnes compare
- 92 Rwanda 317 tonnes compare
- 93 Dominican Republic 311 tonnes compare
- 95 New Zealand 303 tonnes compare
- 96 Madagascar 291 tonnes compare
- 97 Yemen 290 tonnes compare
More reference data data for Saudi Arabia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1847 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1771 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6194 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2207 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9641 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is insecticide use in Saudi Arabia?
- Insecticide use in Saudi Arabia was 307 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 4,944 tonnes in 2019.
- What is the lowest insecticide use recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 307 tonnes in 2023.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for insecticide use?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 94th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is insecticide use rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 90.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.