Nitrogen use efficiency in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Nitrogen use efficiency was 20.1% in 2014. ▼ Falling

Latest (2014)
20.1%
Change on year
down 40.9%
World rank
163rd
of 205 countries
All-time high
34.0%
in 2013
All-time low
17.9%
in 2002
Years of data
54
1961–2014

Nitrogen use efficiency in Sri Lanka, 1961–2014

0102030196119872014

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

Analysis

In 2014, nitrogen use efficiency in Sri Lanka stood at 20.1%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 40.9% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nitrogen use efficiency in Sri Lanka peaked at 34.0% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 17.9%, in 2002.

That places Sri Lanka 163rd out of 205 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 54 years of available data.

Nitrogen use efficiency in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Nitrogen use efficiency in Sri Lanka, 1961 to 2014.
Year % Change
1961 25.4%
1962 24.9% -2.1%
1963 25.4% +2.1%
1964 23.5% -7.6%
1965 20.7% -12.0%
1966 21.8% +5.6%
1967 25.2% +15.5%
1968 24.2% -3.9%
1969 26.5% +9.5%
1970 26.5% +0.1%
1971 23.8% -10.2%
1972 25.2% +5.9%
1973 22.7% -9.8%
1974 24.8% +9.1%
1975 28.6% +15.3%
1976 25.3% -11.5%
1977 24.2% -4.5%
1978 23.7% -2.0%
1979 25.8% +8.8%
1980 24.0% -6.9%
1981 26.8% +11.5%
1982 27.0% +0.8%
1983 28.0% +3.9%
1984 23.4% -16.5%
1985 25.2% +7.6%
1986 25.8% +2.6%
1987 21.6% -16.3%
1988 22.7% +4.8%
1989 20.7% -8.7%
1990 25.3% +22.4%
1991 24.5% -3.3%
1992 22.2% -9.4%
1993 22.0% -1.0%
1994 22.0% +0.2%
1995 23.7% +7.6%
1996 20.5% -13.7%
1997 20.9% +2.2%
1998 21.5% +3.0%
1999 20.1% -6.6%
2000 21.3% +5.8%
2001 20.0% -5.8%
2002 17.9% -10.6%
2003 22.0% +22.9%
2004 19.6% -11.1%
2005 20.0% +2.2%
2006 21.3% +6.5%
2007 22.1% +4.1%
2008 20.8% -6.3%
2009 22.5% +8.2%
2010 26.6% +18.3%
2011 20.7% -22.0%
2012 25.3% +22.3%
2013 34.0% +34.3%
2014 20.1% -40.9%

Sri Lanka compared with similar countries

  • Sri Lanka's 20.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 38.2%, 53% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
  • Sri Lanka's 20.1% is below the median for South Asia, which is 31.2%, 65% of the median. (6 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 24.2% 20.7% 26.5% 9
1970s 25.1% 22.7% 28.6% 10
1980s 24.5% 20.7% 28.0% 10
1990s 22.3% 20.1% 25.3% 10
2000s 20.7% 17.9% 22.5% 10
2010s 25.3% 20.1% 34.0% 5

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 160 Panama 21.0% compare
  2. 161 Norway 20.4% compare
  3. 162 Dominican Republic 20.2% compare
  4. 164 Bosnia and Herzegovina 19.2% compare
  5. 165 Portugal 19.2% compare
  6. 166 Luxembourg 18.3% compare

See the full ranking of 205 places →

More reference data data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is nitrogen use efficiency in Sri Lanka?
Nitrogen use efficiency in Sri Lanka was 20.1% in 2014, according to Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 34.0% in 2013.
What is the lowest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 17.9% in 2002.
How does Sri Lanka rank for nitrogen use efficiency?
Sri Lanka ranks 163rd out of 205 countries with data for 2014.
Is nitrogen use efficiency rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka. 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/sri-lanka/

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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.