Nitrogen use efficiency in India
India: Nitrogen use efficiency was 34.3% in 2014. ▼ Falling
Nitrogen use efficiency in India, 1961–2014
Source: Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for nitrogen use efficiency in India is 34.3%, measured in 2014.
That represents a change of up 2.5% on the previous year and up 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen use efficiency in India peaked at 43.7% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 28.0%, in 2002.
That places India 130th out of 205 countries with data for 2014, putting it 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 India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 43.7% | — |
| 1962 | 43.5% | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 43.3% | -0.5% |
| 1964 | 41.5% | -4.1% |
| 1965 | 39.5% | -4.7% |
| 1966 | 37.5% | -5.1% |
| 1967 | 38.5% | +2.7% |
| 1968 | 39.5% | +2.6% |
| 1969 | 38.9% | -1.6% |
| 1970 | 40.3% | +3.6% |
| 1971 | 39.3% | -2.5% |
| 1972 | 37.6% | -4.4% |
| 1973 | 39.3% | +4.7% |
| 1974 | 37.0% | -5.9% |
| 1975 | 35.7% | -3.5% |
| 1976 | 36.6% | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 36.6% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 35.6% | -2.5% |
| 1979 | 33.4% | -6.2% |
| 1980 | 32.8% | -1.9% |
| 1981 | 33.8% | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 32.6% | -3.4% |
| 1983 | 33.9% | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 32.8% | -3.4% |
| 1985 | 30.3% | -7.5% |
| 1986 | 28.2% | -7.0% |
| 1987 | 28.8% | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 29.2% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 32.7% | +11.8% |
| 1990 | 30.4% | -7.1% |
| 1991 | 29.8% | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 30.7% | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 30.4% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 29.8% | -1.9% |
| 1995 | 30.3% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 30.3% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 29.6% | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 29.0% | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 29.5% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 29.9% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 29.3% | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 28.0% | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 30.7% | +9.6% |
| 2004 | 30.1% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 30.0% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 29.8% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 31.6% | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 30.1% | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 29.0% | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 31.4% | +8.4% |
| 2011 | 32.2% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 33.1% | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 33.5% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 34.3% | +2.5% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 34.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 55.2%, 62% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- India's 34.3% is above the median for South Asia, which is 31.2%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 40.7% | 37.5% | 43.7% | 9 |
| 1970s | 37.1% | 33.4% | 40.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 31.5% | 28.2% | 33.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.0% | 29.0% | 30.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.8% | 28.0% | 31.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.9% | 31.4% | 34.3% | 5 |
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 nitrogen use efficiency in India?
- Nitrogen use efficiency in India was 34.3% in 2014, according to Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 43.7% in 1961.
- What is the lowest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.0% in 2002.
- How does India rank for nitrogen use efficiency?
- India ranks 130th out of 205 countries with data for 2014.
- Is nitrogen use efficiency rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.