Nitrogen use efficiency in South Africa
South Africa: Nitrogen use efficiency was 59.4% in 2014. ▼ Falling
Nitrogen use efficiency in South Africa, 1961–2014
Source: Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 59.4% for nitrogen use efficiency in 2014.
The figure is up 22.6% on the previous year and up 39.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen use efficiency in South Africa peaked at 80.5% in 1967 and was at its lowest, 27.0%, in 1992.
South Africa ranks 77th 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 South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 69.6% | — |
| 1962 | 68.4% | -1.6% |
| 1963 | 66.6% | -2.7% |
| 1964 | 55.6% | -16.4% |
| 1965 | 54.5% | -2.0% |
| 1966 | 58.2% | +6.8% |
| 1967 | 80.5% | +38.3% |
| 1968 | 53.9% | -33.0% |
| 1969 | 52.4% | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 52.5% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 60.4% | +15.2% |
| 1972 | 57.3% | -5.2% |
| 1973 | 40.4% | -29.5% |
| 1974 | 68.1% | +68.5% |
| 1975 | 53.2% | -21.9% |
| 1976 | 46.4% | -12.7% |
| 1977 | 51.3% | +10.5% |
| 1978 | 50.1% | -2.4% |
| 1979 | 44.3% | -11.6% |
| 1980 | 45.3% | +2.3% |
| 1981 | 51.5% | +13.6% |
| 1982 | 40.3% | -21.6% |
| 1983 | 33.5% | -17.0% |
| 1984 | 35.3% | +5.5% |
| 1985 | 45.1% | +27.8% |
| 1986 | 47.4% | +5.0% |
| 1987 | 53.8% | +13.6% |
| 1988 | 49.8% | -7.5% |
| 1989 | 56.7% | +13.9% |
| 1990 | 45.5% | -19.8% |
| 1991 | 46.8% | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 27.0% | -42.2% |
| 1993 | 44.4% | +64.3% |
| 1994 | 55.7% | +25.5% |
| 1995 | 33.8% | -39.4% |
| 1996 | 49.8% | +47.6% |
| 1997 | 47.3% | -5.1% |
| 1998 | 41.0% | -13.2% |
| 1999 | 42.4% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 49.8% | +17.4% |
| 2001 | 42.9% | -13.8% |
| 2002 | 43.4% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 41.8% | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 42.5% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 54.1% | +27.3% |
| 2006 | 37.8% | -30.0% |
| 2007 | 34.9% | -7.8% |
| 2008 | 49.1% | +40.6% |
| 2009 | 45.6% | -7.0% |
| 2010 | 48.1% | +5.5% |
| 2011 | 45.2% | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 46.7% | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 48.4% | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 59.4% | +22.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 59.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 38.2%, 1.6× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 59.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 62.2%, 95% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 62.2% | 52.4% | 80.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 52.4% | 40.4% | 68.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 45.9% | 33.5% | 56.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.4% | 27.0% | 55.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.2% | 34.9% | 54.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.6% | 45.2% | 59.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen use efficiency in South Africa?
- Nitrogen use efficiency in South Africa was 59.4% in 2014, according to Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 80.5% in 1967.
- What is the lowest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.0% in 1992.
- How does South Africa rank for nitrogen use efficiency?
- South Africa ranks 77th out of 205 countries with data for 2014.
- Is nitrogen use efficiency rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa 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.