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 204 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.
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
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.191 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.36 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.6318 °C (2026)
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- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.18 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.2153 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 209.92 2010 = 100 (2025)
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- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
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 204 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.