Nitrogen use efficiency in North Korea

North Korea: Nitrogen use efficiency was 41.8% in 2014. ▲ Rising

Latest (2014)
41.8%
Change on year
up 10.3%
World rank
116th
of 205 countries
All-time high
52.1%
in 1995
All-time low
17.0%
in 1982
Years of data
54
1961–2014

Nitrogen use efficiency in North Korea, 1961–2014

20304050196119872014

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

Analysis

In 2014, nitrogen use efficiency in North Korea stood at 41.8%.

That represents a change of up 10.3% on the previous year and up 8.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nitrogen use efficiency in North Korea peaked at 52.1% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 17.0%, in 1982.

North Korea ranks 116th 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 North Korea, year by year

Annual values for Nitrogen use efficiency in North Korea, 1961 to 2014.
Year % Change
1961 49.7%
1962 44.3% -10.8%
1963 45.8% +3.4%
1964 46.8% +2.1%
1965 41.8% -10.6%
1966 42.3% +1.1%
1967 38.4% -9.0%
1968 37.4% -2.7%
1969 37.5% +0.2%
1970 30.3% -19.3%
1971 29.8% -1.5%
1972 28.2% -5.5%
1973 27.9% -0.8%
1974 28.7% +3.0%
1975 28.7% -0.3%
1976 22.2% -22.5%
1977 20.6% -7.4%
1978 17.8% -13.3%
1979 18.1% +1.7%
1980 17.7% -2.7%
1981 18.2% +3.2%
1982 17.0% -6.4%
1983 17.1% +0.3%
1984 18.0% +5.0%
1985 17.4% -2.9%
1986 18.6% +7.0%
1987 19.0% +2.0%
1988 18.4% -3.5%
1989 18.5% +1.0%
1990 18.5% -0.0%
1991 21.6% +16.7%
1992 21.0% -2.9%
1993 21.8% +4.0%
1994 35.6% +63.1%
1995 52.1% +46.4%
1996 48.3% -7.4%
1997 35.3% -26.8%
1998 46.9% +32.8%
1999 38.1% -18.6%
2000 32.8% -14.1%
2001 34.4% +4.8%
2002 39.7% +15.5%
2003 40.4% +1.7%
2004 38.4% -4.9%
2005 40.1% +4.4%
2006 39.4% -1.9%
2007 35.5% -9.8%
2008 39.7% +11.9%
2009 39.5% -0.6%
2010 36.7% -7.0%
2011 37.4% +1.7%
2012 38.1% +1.9%
2013 37.9% -0.3%
2014 41.8% +10.3%

North Korea compared with similar countries

  • North Korea's 41.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 62.0%, 68% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
  • North Korea's 41.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 44.5%, 94% of the median. (32 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Nitrogen use efficiency in North Korea 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
1994 +63.1% 21.8% 35.6%
1995 +46.4% 35.6% 52.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 42.7% 37.4% 49.7% 9
1970s 25.2% 17.8% 30.3% 10
1980s 18.0% 17.0% 19.0% 10
1990s 33.9% 18.5% 52.1% 10
2000s 38.0% 32.8% 40.4% 10
2010s 38.4% 36.7% 41.8% 5

Countries ranked near North Korea

  1. 113 Lesotho 43.5% compare
  2. 114 Belarus 43.4% compare
  3. 115 Senegal 41.9% compare
  4. 117 Central African Republic 41.1% compare
  5. 118 Ecuador 39.9% compare
  6. 119 Guyana 39.6% compare

See the full ranking of 205 places →

More reference data data for North Korea

All data for North Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is nitrogen use efficiency in North Korea?
Nitrogen use efficiency in North Korea was 41.8% in 2014, according to Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in North Korea?
The highest recorded value was 52.1% in 1995.
What is the lowest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in North Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 17.0% in 1982.
How does North Korea rank for nitrogen use efficiency?
North Korea ranks 116th out of 205 countries with data for 2014.
Is nitrogen use efficiency rising or falling in North Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this North Korea 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 North Korea. 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/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

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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.