Pesticide use in Japan
Japan: Pesticide use was 45,574 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Pesticide use in Japan, 1990–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, pesticide use in Japan stood at 45,574 tonnes. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of down 9.4% on the previous year and down 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pesticide use in Japan peaked at 79,821 tonnes in 1990 and was at its lowest, 45,574 tonnes, in 2023.
Japan ranks 14th of 211 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Pesticide use in Japan, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 79,821 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 79,821 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 79,821 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 79,821 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 79,821 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 79,821 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 79,821 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 79,821 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 79,821 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 79,821 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 79,821 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 78,735 tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 70,263 tonnes | -10.8% |
| 2003 | 67,870 tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 64,689 tonnes | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 63,830 tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 65,248 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 61,164 tonnes | -6.3% |
| 2008 | 58,750 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 60,971 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 55,576 tonnes | -8.8% |
| 2011 | 51,796 tonnes | -6.8% |
| 2012 | 54,716 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 52,794 tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2014 | 53,544 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 54,171 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 51,006 tonnes | -5.8% |
| 2017 | 52,248 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 52,332 tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 51,970 tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 48,889 tonnes | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 48,783 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 50,320 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 45,574 tonnes | -9.4% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 45,574 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 1,224 tonnes, 37.2× the median. (73 countries reporting)
- Japan's 45,574 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 287 tonnes, 158.8× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 79,821 tonnes | 79,821 tonnes | 79,821 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 67,134 tonnes | 58,750 tonnes | 79,821 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 53,015 tonnes | 51,006 tonnes | 55,576 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 48,392 tonnes | 45,574 tonnes | 50,320 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More reference data data for Japan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.981 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3629 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.98 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is pesticide use in Japan?
- Pesticide use in Japan was 45,574 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 79,821 tonnes in 1990.
- What is the lowest pesticide use recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 45,574 tonnes in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for pesticide use?
- Japan ranks 14th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is pesticide use rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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.