Pesticide use in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Pesticide use was 3,213 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
3,213 tonnes
Change on year
down 53.3%
World rank
76th
of 211 countries
All-time high
10,597 tonnes
in 2019
All-time low
994 tonnes
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Pesticide use in Saudi Arabia, 1990–2023

02.0k4.0k6.0k8.0k10.0k1990200620231990: 994 tonnes1991: 994 tonnes1992: 994 tonnes1993: 994 tonnes1994: 994 tonnes1995: 994 tonnes1996: 994 tonnes1997: 2.5k tonnes1998: 2.7k tonnes1999: 2.9k tonnes2000: 3.0k tonnes2001: 3.2k tonnes2002: 3.4k tonnes2003: 3.5k tonnes2004: 3.7k tonnes2005: 3.9k tonnes2006: 4.0k tonnes2007: 4.2k tonnes2008: 4.4k tonnes2009: 4.6k tonnes2010: 4.8k tonnes2011: 5.0k tonnes2012: 5.2k tonnes2013: 5.4k tonnes2014: 6.3k tonnes2015: 7.1k tonnes2016: 8.0k tonnes2017: 8.9k tonnes2018: 9.7k tonnes2019: 10.6k tonnes2020: 7.4k tonnes2021: 7.1k tonnes2022: 6.9k tonnes2023: 3.2k tonnes

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 Saudi Arabia is 3,213 tonnes, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 53.3% on the previous year and down 40.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, pesticide use in Saudi Arabia peaked at 10,597 tonnes in 2019 and was at its lowest, 994 tonnes, in 1990.

Saudi Arabia ranks 76th of 211 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1,501 tonnes 994 tonnes 2,854 tonnes 10
2000s 3,799 tonnes 3,024 tonnes 4,615 tonnes 10
2010s 7,108 tonnes 4,815 tonnes 10,597 tonnes 10
2020s 6,148 tonnes 3,213 tonnes 7,375 tonnes 4

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 73 Mozambique 3,287 tonnes compare
  2. 74 Thailand 3,273 tonnes compare
  3. 75 Finland 3,251 tonnes compare
  4. 77 Tunisia 3,195 tonnes compare
  5. 78 Lithuania 3,013 tonnes compare
  6. 79 Georgia 2,938 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More reference data data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is pesticide use in Saudi Arabia?
Pesticide use in Saudi Arabia was 3,213 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 Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 10,597 tonnes in 2019.
What is the lowest pesticide use recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 994 tonnes in 1990.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for pesticide use?
Saudi Arabia ranks 76th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
Is pesticide use rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is down 40.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Saudi Arabia 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

Indicator
Pesticide use
Unit
tonnes
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
211 places, 7,015 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

Total pesticide use measured in tonnes of pesticide consumption per year.