Nitrogen use efficiency in Western Sahara
Western Sahara: Nitrogen use efficiency was 5.2% in 2014. ▲ Rising
Nitrogen use efficiency in Western Sahara, 1969–2014
Source: Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Western Sahara recorded 5.2% for nitrogen use efficiency in 2014.
That represents a change of down 20.2% on the previous year and down 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen use efficiency in Western Sahara peaked at 9.1% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 1972.
That places Western Sahara 197th out of 205 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Nitrogen use efficiency in Western Sahara, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 4.0% | — |
| 1970 | 4.2% | +5.4% |
| 1971 | 4.5% | +6.4% |
| 1972 | 3.9% | -13.2% |
| 1973 | 4.3% | +10.0% |
| 1974 | 4.7% | +8.2% |
| 1975 | 4.5% | -3.7% |
| 1976 | 5.2% | +16.1% |
| 1977 | 5.0% | -3.6% |
| 1978 | 5.7% | +14.4% |
| 1979 | 5.6% | -1.9% |
| 1980 | 5.9% | +5.0% |
| 1981 | 6.3% | +6.3% |
| 1982 | 6.2% | -1.4% |
| 1983 | 6.6% | +6.8% |
| 1984 | 6.8% | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 6.7% | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 7.1% | +4.5% |
| 1987 | 7.4% | +4.4% |
| 1988 | 7.3% | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 7.6% | +4.5% |
| 1990 | 7.9% | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 8.2% | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 8.3% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 8.4% | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 8.2% | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 8.7% | +6.1% |
| 1996 | 8.1% | -7.0% |
| 1997 | 8.9% | +10.0% |
| 1998 | 8.0% | -10.6% |
| 1999 | 9.1% | +13.9% |
| 2000 | 6.7% | -26.6% |
| 2001 | 7.5% | +12.5% |
| 2002 | 6.4% | -14.1% |
| 2003 | 6.9% | +6.8% |
| 2004 | 6.2% | -9.3% |
| 2005 | 7.2% | +15.9% |
| 2006 | 6.0% | -17.2% |
| 2007 | 6.4% | +6.8% |
| 2008 | 6.8% | +5.4% |
| 2009 | 6.5% | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 6.5% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 6.3% | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 5.9% | -5.9% |
| 2013 | 6.5% | +9.6% |
| 2014 | 5.2% | -20.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% | 1 |
| 1970s | 4.8% | 3.9% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.8% | 5.9% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.4% | 7.9% | 9.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.7% | 6.0% | 7.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.1% | 5.2% | 6.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Western Sahara
- 194 Cayman Islands 6.3% compare
- 195 Saudi Arabia 5.4% compare
- 196 New Zealand 5.2% compare
- 198 Botswana 4.5% compare
- 199 Singapore 2.2% compare
- 200 Trinidad and Tobago 2.1% compare
More reference data data for Western Sahara
- Free country 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 7 (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exposure to extreme temperature — Annual temperature change 1.35 Degrees celsius (2023)
- Land area in hectares 26.60 million hectares (2023)
- Area of permanent meadows and pastures 5.00 million hectares (2023)
- Average age of mothers at childbirth 29.99 years (2023)
- Area of permanent meadows and pastures, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen use efficiency in Western Sahara?
- Nitrogen use efficiency in Western Sahara was 5.2% in 2014, according to Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Western Sahara?
- The highest recorded value was 9.1% in 1999.
- What is the lowest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Western Sahara?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 1972.
- How does Western Sahara rank for nitrogen use efficiency?
- Western Sahara ranks 197th out of 205 countries with data for 2014.
- Is nitrogen use efficiency rising or falling in Western Sahara?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Western Sahara 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 — 46 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.