Insecticide use in Spain
Spain: Insecticide use was 9,978 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Insecticide use in Spain, 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 Spain stood at 9,978 tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.6% on the previous year and up 46.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, insecticide use in Spain peaked at 16,862 tonnes in 2018 and was at its lowest, 5,857 tonnes, in 1993.
Spain ranks 13th of 211 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Insecticide use in Spain, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 9,194 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 9,178 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 6,742 tonnes | -26.5% |
| 1993 | 5,857 tonnes | -13.1% |
| 1994 | 10,646 tonnes | +81.8% |
| 1995 | 9,538 tonnes | -10.4% |
| 1996 | 9,758 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 9,944 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 10,173 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 9,985 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 10,470 tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2001 | 11,781 tonnes | +12.5% |
| 2002 | 11,630 tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 11,645 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 12,452 tonnes | +6.9% |
| 2005 | 14,144 tonnes | +13.6% |
| 2006 | 13,438 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2007 | 12,740 tonnes | -5.2% |
| 2008 | 13,294 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 12,624 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2010 | 14,335 tonnes | +13.6% |
| 2011 | 8,045 tonnes | -43.9% |
| 2012 | 7,638 tonnes | -5.1% |
| 2013 | 6,816 tonnes | -10.8% |
| 2014 | 7,575 tonnes | +11.1% |
| 2015 | 6,769 tonnes | -10.6% |
| 2016 | 7,609 tonnes | +12.4% |
| 2017 | 16,280 tonnes | +114.0% |
| 2018 | 16,862 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 7,725 tonnes | -54.2% |
| 2020 | 15,891 tonnes | +105.7% |
| 2021 | 9,882 tonnes | -37.8% |
| 2022 | 11,034 tonnes | +11.7% |
| 2023 | 9,978 tonnes | -9.6% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 9,978 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 90 tonnes, 110.9× the median. (73 countries reporting)
- Spain's 9,978 tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 198 tonnes, 50.4× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Insecticide use in Spain 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +114.0% | 7,609 tonnes | 16,280 tonnes |
| 2020 | +105.7% | 7,725 tonnes | 15,891 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9,102 tonnes | 5,857 tonnes | 10,646 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 12,422 tonnes | 10,470 tonnes | 14,144 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 9,965 tonnes | 6,769 tonnes | 16,862 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 11,696 tonnes | 9,882 tonnes | 15,891 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More reference data data for Spain
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.898 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.06 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 52.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.89 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is insecticide use in Spain?
- Insecticide use in Spain was 9,978 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 16,862 tonnes in 2018.
- What is the lowest insecticide use recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,857 tonnes in 1993.
- How does Spain rank for insecticide use?
- Spain ranks 13th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is insecticide use rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain 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.