Nitrogen use efficiency in United States
United States: Nitrogen use efficiency was 71.6% in 2014. ▲ Rising
Nitrogen use efficiency in United States, 1961–2014
Source: Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2014, nitrogen use efficiency in United States stood at 71.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 13.9% on the previous year and up 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen use efficiency in United States peaked at 71.9% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 45.6%, in 1983.
That places United States 50th out of 204 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 61.2% | 54.3% | 71.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 53.2% | 49.1% | 57.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 57.4% | 45.6% | 66.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 59.1% | 52.0% | 63.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 62.5% | 58.1% | 66.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.4% | 56.8% | 71.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
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- Summer temperature anomalies 0.5014 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0594 °C (2026)
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- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.8696 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9189 °C (2025)
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- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
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Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen use efficiency in United States?
- Nitrogen use efficiency in United States was 71.6% in 2014, according to Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 71.9% in 1961.
- What is the lowest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.6% in 1983.
- How does United States rank for nitrogen use efficiency?
- United States ranks 50th out of 204 countries with data for 2014.
- Is nitrogen use efficiency rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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.