Nitrogen use efficiency in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Nitrogen use efficiency was 24.3% in 2014. ▲ Rising

Latest (2014)
24.3%
Change on year
down 15.7%
World rank
153rd
of 205 countries
All-time high
34.4%
in 2002
All-time low
13.7%
in 1969
Years of data
54
1961–2014

Nitrogen use efficiency in Costa Rica, 1961–2014

0102030196119872014

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

Analysis

Costa Rica recorded 24.3% for nitrogen use efficiency in 2014.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 15.7% on the previous year and down 8.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nitrogen use efficiency in Costa Rica peaked at 34.4% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 13.7%, in 1969.

Costa Rica ranks 153rd of 205 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Nitrogen use efficiency in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Nitrogen use efficiency in Costa Rica, 1961 to 2014.
Year % Change
1961 29.7%
1962 27.1% -8.9%
1963 17.9% -33.9%
1964 16.9% -5.6%
1965 32.2% +90.5%
1966 24.5% -23.9%
1967 26.7% +9.0%
1968 17.5% -34.4%
1969 13.7% -21.5%
1970 13.9% +1.0%
1971 18.8% +35.2%
1972 19.5% +4.0%
1973 17.9% -8.1%
1974 17.4% -3.0%
1975 20.3% +16.8%
1976 22.9% +12.7%
1977 20.4% -10.9%
1978 19.8% -3.0%
1979 20.6% +4.3%
1980 20.8% +0.9%
1981 20.0% -4.0%
1982 17.0% -14.7%
1983 18.0% +5.6%
1984 19.5% +8.3%
1985 19.0% -2.4%
1986 19.3% +1.5%
1987 18.5% -4.2%
1988 18.8% +1.8%
1989 16.8% -10.9%
1990 21.0% +25.3%
1991 19.6% -6.6%
1992 19.2% -2.3%
1993 20.1% +5.0%
1994 20.2% +0.4%
1995 20.8% +2.8%
1996 16.3% -21.4%
1997 15.9% -2.6%
1998 15.1% -5.0%
1999 19.5% +29.5%
2000 24.4% +25.0%
2001 30.0% +22.9%
2002 34.4% +14.6%
2003 23.8% -30.8%
2004 26.4% +10.9%
2005 20.8% -21.3%
2006 27.5% +32.1%
2007 27.3% -0.6%
2008 27.0% -1.2%
2009 26.4% -2.3%
2010 33.7% +27.8%
2011 26.4% -21.6%
2012 26.7% +1.2%
2013 28.8% +7.7%
2014 24.3% -15.7%

Costa Rica compared with similar countries

  • Costa Rica's 24.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.0%, 67% of the median. (69 countries reporting)
  • Costa Rica's 24.3% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 30.0%, 81% of the median. (37 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Nitrogen use efficiency in Costa Rica 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.

YearChange FromTo
1965 +90.5% 16.9% 32.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 22.9% 13.7% 32.2% 9
1970s 19.1% 13.9% 22.9% 10
1980s 18.8% 16.8% 20.8% 10
1990s 18.8% 15.1% 21.0% 10
2000s 26.8% 20.8% 34.4% 10
2010s 28.0% 24.3% 33.7% 5

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 150 Colombia 25.9% compare
  2. 151 Jamaica 25.5% compare
  3. 152 South Korea 25.2% compare
  4. 154 Turkmenistan 24.2% compare
  5. 155 Lebanon 24.1% compare
  6. 156 Saint Kitts and Nevis 23.9% compare

See the full ranking of 205 places →

More reference data data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is nitrogen use efficiency in Costa Rica?
Nitrogen use efficiency in Costa Rica was 24.3% in 2014, according to Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 34.4% in 2002.
What is the lowest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 13.7% in 1969.
How does Costa Rica rank for nitrogen use efficiency?
Costa Rica ranks 153rd out of 205 countries with data for 2014.
Is nitrogen use efficiency rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Costa Rica 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 Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/nitrogen-use-efficiency/costa-rica/

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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.