Pesticide use in India
India: Pesticide use was 40,094 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Pesticide use in India, 1990–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for pesticide use in India is 40,094 tonnes, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, pesticide use in India peaked at 75,000 tonnes in 1990 and was at its lowest, 14,485 tonnes, in 2008.
That places India 17th out of 211 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Pesticide use in India, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 75,000 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 72,133 tonnes | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 70,791 tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 66,074 tonnes | -6.7% |
| 1994 | 61,357 tonnes | -7.1% |
| 1995 | 61,257 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 56,114 tonnes | -8.4% |
| 1997 | 52,279 tonnes | -6.8% |
| 1998 | 49,157 tonnes | -6.0% |
| 1999 | 46,195 tonnes | -6.0% |
| 2000 | 44,958 tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 43,720 tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 42,483 tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 41,245 tonnes | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 35,113 tonnes | -14.9% |
| 2005 | 35,342 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 37,423 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 2007 | 27,423 tonnes | -26.7% |
| 2008 | 14,485 tonnes | -47.2% |
| 2009 | 28,707 tonnes | +98.2% |
| 2010 | 40,094 tonnes | +39.7% |
| 2011 | 40,094 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 40,094 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 40,094 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 40,094 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 40,094 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 40,094 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 40,094 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 40,094 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 40,094 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 40,094 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 40,094 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 40,094 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 40,094 tonnes | +0.0% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 40,094 tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1,280 tonnes, 31.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- India's 40,094 tonnes is above the median for South Asia, which is 1,487 tonnes, 27.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Pesticide use in India changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +98.2% | 14,485 tonnes | 28,707 tonnes |
| 2008 | -47.2% | 27,423 tonnes | 14,485 tonnes |
| 2010 | +39.7% | 28,707 tonnes | 40,094 tonnes |
| 2007 | -26.7% | 37,423 tonnes | 27,423 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 61,036 tonnes | 46,195 tonnes | 75,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 35,090 tonnes | 14,485 tonnes | 44,958 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 40,094 tonnes | 40,094 tonnes | 40,094 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 40,094 tonnes | 40,094 tonnes | 40,094 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More reference data data for India
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 20.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 68.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 70.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 309.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 85.03 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is pesticide use in India?
- Pesticide use in India was 40,094 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest pesticide use recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 75,000 tonnes in 1990.
- What is the lowest pesticide use recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 14,485 tonnes in 2008.
- How does India rank for pesticide use?
- India ranks 17th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is pesticide use rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Pesticide use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total pesticide use measured in tonnes of pesticide consumption per year.