Nitrogen use efficiency in South Korea

South Korea: Nitrogen use efficiency was 25.2% in 2014. ▼ Falling

Latest (2014)
25.2%
Change on year
up 19.2%
World rank
152nd
of 205 countries
All-time high
45.0%
in 1964
All-time low
17.9%
in 2012
Years of data
54
1961–2014

Nitrogen use efficiency in South Korea, 1961–2014

010203040196119872014

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

Analysis

In 2014, nitrogen use efficiency in South Korea stood at 25.2%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 19.2% on the previous year and up 13.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nitrogen use efficiency in South Korea peaked at 45.0% in 1964 and was at its lowest, 17.9%, in 2012.

That places South Korea 152nd 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 South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Nitrogen use efficiency in South Korea, 1961 to 2014.
Year % Change
1961 35.2%
1962 34.0% -3.5%
1963 33.7% -0.8%
1964 45.0% +33.5%
1965 41.4% -7.9%
1966 40.7% -1.9%
1967 33.8% -16.8%
1968 34.1% +0.9%
1969 34.1% -0.2%
1970 31.0% -8.9%
1971 31.5% +1.6%
1972 30.1% -4.7%
1973 27.5% -8.4%
1974 26.7% -3.1%
1975 28.4% +6.3%
1976 37.6% +32.6%
1977 33.5% -11.1%
1978 32.4% -3.1%
1979 31.7% -2.2%
1980 24.3% -23.3%
1981 28.4% +17.1%
1982 35.5% +24.8%
1983 33.0% -7.2%
1984 34.3% +4.1%
1985 30.5% -11.0%
1986 29.3% -3.9%
1987 26.5% -9.6%
1988 27.3% +2.7%
1989 24.7% -9.4%
1990 22.9% -7.3%
1991 22.0% -4.0%
1992 20.5% -6.5%
1993 20.0% -2.5%
1994 19.6% -2.0%
1995 19.5% -0.6%
1996 20.9% +7.0%
1997 19.2% -7.8%
1998 20.1% +4.3%
1999 21.3% +6.1%
2000 22.7% +6.6%
2001 24.9% +9.7%
2002 22.7% -9.0%
2003 21.8% -4.0%
2004 22.2% +2.1%
2005 20.5% -7.7%
2006 22.3% +8.7%
2007 19.4% -13.1%
2008 22.7% +17.1%
2009 24.2% +6.6%
2010 21.2% -12.5%
2011 22.4% +5.7%
2012 17.9% -19.9%
2013 21.1% +17.8%
2014 25.2% +19.2%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 25.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.0%, 70% of the median. (69 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 25.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 44.5%, 56% of the median. (32 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 36.9% 33.7% 45.0% 9
1970s 31.0% 26.7% 37.6% 10
1980s 29.4% 24.3% 35.5% 10
1990s 20.6% 19.2% 22.9% 10
2000s 22.3% 19.4% 24.9% 10
2010s 21.6% 17.9% 25.2% 5

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 149 Bermuda 26.2% compare
  2. 150 Colombia 25.9% compare
  3. 151 Jamaica 25.5% compare
  4. 153 Costa Rica 24.3% compare
  5. 154 Turkmenistan 24.2% compare
  6. 155 Lebanon 24.1% compare

See the full ranking of 205 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is nitrogen use efficiency in South Korea?
Nitrogen use efficiency in South Korea was 25.2% in 2014, according to Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 45.0% in 1964.
What is the lowest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 17.9% in 2012.
How does South Korea rank for nitrogen use efficiency?
South Korea ranks 152nd out of 205 countries with data for 2014.
Is nitrogen use efficiency rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South 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 South 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-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.