Nitrogen use efficiency in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Nitrogen use efficiency was 59.5% in 2014. ▼ Falling

Latest (2014)
59.5%
Change on year
up 16.7%
World rank
76th
of 205 countries
All-time high
79.4%
in 1973
All-time low
35.3%
in 2012
Years of data
54
1961–2014

Nitrogen use efficiency in Afghanistan, 1961–2014

020406080196119872014

Source: Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for nitrogen use efficiency in Afghanistan is 59.5%, measured in 2014.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 16.7% on the previous year and up 23.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nitrogen use efficiency in Afghanistan peaked at 79.4% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 35.3%, in 2012.

Afghanistan ranks 76th of 205 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 54 years of available data.

Nitrogen use efficiency in Afghanistan, year by year

Annual values for Nitrogen use efficiency in Afghanistan, 1961 to 2014.
Year % Change
1961 74.3%
1962 77.8% +4.6%
1963 71.8% -7.7%
1964 74.3% +3.5%
1965 74.2% -0.1%
1966 67.5% -9.1%
1967 69.4% +2.8%
1968 66.3% -4.4%
1969 69.5% +4.8%
1970 62.0% -10.8%
1971 58.3% -5.9%
1972 75.0% +28.7%
1973 79.4% +5.9%
1974 74.6% -6.0%
1975 72.1% -3.3%
1976 72.0% -0.2%
1977 60.6% -15.9%
1978 64.3% +6.1%
1979 62.8% -2.4%
1980 57.5% -8.4%
1981 58.5% +1.8%
1982 51.8% -11.5%
1983 53.3% +2.8%
1984 50.2% -5.6%
1985 49.8% -0.9%
1986 52.8% +5.9%
1987 53.7% +1.7%
1988 49.0% -8.7%
1989 46.6% -4.9%
1990 45.0% -3.4%
1991 48.9% +8.7%
1992 46.7% -4.6%
1993 52.8% +12.9%
1994 79.2% +50.1%
1995 76.5% -3.4%
1996 69.2% -9.5%
1997 71.2% +2.9%
1998 68.6% -3.7%
1999 56.6% -17.5%
2000 40.4% -28.5%
2001 45.9% +13.6%
2002 54.2% +18.1%
2003 60.7% +11.9%
2004 48.0% -20.9%
2005 73.0% +52.0%
2006 53.6% -26.5%
2007 76.2% +42.1%
2008 51.5% -32.5%
2009 77.0% +49.6%
2010 64.4% -16.4%
2011 46.1% -28.3%
2012 35.3% -23.4%
2013 51.0% +44.4%
2014 59.5% +16.7%

Afghanistan compared with similar countries

  • Afghanistan's 59.5% is below the median for low income countries, which is 62.0%, 96% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
  • Afghanistan's 59.5% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 27.8%, 2.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 71.7% 66.3% 77.8% 9
1970s 68.1% 58.3% 79.4% 10
1980s 52.3% 46.6% 58.5% 10
1990s 61.5% 45.0% 79.2% 10
2000s 58.1% 40.4% 77.0% 10
2010s 51.3% 35.3% 64.4% 5

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 73 Mali 60.2% compare
  2. 74 Myanmar 60.1% compare
  3. 75 Canada 59.5% compare
  4. 77 South Africa 59.4% compare
  5. 78 Turkey 59.0% compare
  6. 79 Kiribati 58.6% compare

See the full ranking of 205 places →

More reference data data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is nitrogen use efficiency in Afghanistan?
Nitrogen use efficiency in Afghanistan was 59.5% in 2014, according to Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 79.4% in 1973.
What is the lowest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was 35.3% in 2012.
How does Afghanistan rank for nitrogen use efficiency?
Afghanistan ranks 76th out of 205 countries with data for 2014.
Is nitrogen use efficiency rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
The figures come from Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Nitrogen use efficiency. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Nitrogen use efficiency in Afghanistan. Statizoid, drawing on Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/nitrogen-use-efficiency/afghanistan/

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About this data

Indicator
Nitrogen use efficiency
Unit
%
Source
Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
205 places, 10,031 data points, 1961–2014
Last refreshed

Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is the ratio between nitrogen inputs and output. A NUE of 40% means that only 40% of nitrogen inputs are converted into nitrogen in the form of crops.