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 205 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.
Nitrogen use efficiency in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 71.9% | — |
| 1962 | 67.0% | -6.8% |
| 1963 | 65.9% | -1.6% |
| 1964 | 61.2% | -7.1% |
| 1965 | 62.0% | +1.2% |
| 1966 | 56.3% | -9.2% |
| 1967 | 55.6% | -1.2% |
| 1968 | 56.3% | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 54.3% | -3.5% |
| 1970 | 49.1% | -9.5% |
| 1971 | 55.8% | +13.7% |
| 1972 | 54.8% | -1.9% |
| 1973 | 53.8% | -1.7% |
| 1974 | 49.6% | -7.9% |
| 1975 | 50.6% | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 50.1% | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 56.3% | +12.4% |
| 1978 | 54.5% | -3.2% |
| 1979 | 57.3% | +5.2% |
| 1980 | 50.3% | -12.3% |
| 1981 | 60.4% | +20.2% |
| 1982 | 66.5% | +10.2% |
| 1983 | 45.6% | -31.4% |
| 1984 | 56.7% | +24.2% |
| 1985 | 65.3% | +15.2% |
| 1986 | 61.8% | -5.3% |
| 1987 | 59.7% | -3.5% |
| 1988 | 50.8% | -14.9% |
| 1989 | 57.1% | +12.3% |
| 1990 | 59.7% | +4.6% |
| 1991 | 57.2% | -4.2% |
| 1992 | 63.0% | +10.2% |
| 1993 | 52.0% | -17.4% |
| 1994 | 63.4% | +21.8% |
| 1995 | 54.3% | -14.3% |
| 1996 | 59.6% | +9.7% |
| 1997 | 60.6% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 60.7% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 60.1% | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 62.8% | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 61.1% | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 58.1% | -4.8% |
| 2003 | 59.7% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 65.0% | +9.0% |
| 2005 | 64.2% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 60.4% | -6.0% |
| 2007 | 63.5% | +5.2% |
| 2008 | 63.3% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 66.7% | +5.5% |
| 2010 | 65.1% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 60.7% | -6.8% |
| 2012 | 56.8% | -6.3% |
| 2013 | 62.9% | +10.6% |
| 2014 | 71.6% | +13.9% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 71.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 36.0%, 2.0× the median. (69 countries reporting)
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
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 19.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 20.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 64.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 52.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 133.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 589.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 112.69 (2050)
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 205 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.