Pesticide use in Spain
Spain: Pesticide use was 52,907 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Pesticide use in Spain, 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 Spain is 52,907 tonnes, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 6.1% on the previous year and down 26.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pesticide use in Spain peaked at 78,818 tonnes in 2014 and was at its lowest, 27,852 tonnes, in 1995.
That places Spain 12th out of 211 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Pesticide use in Spain, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 39,562 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 39,147 tonnes | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 31,839 tonnes | -18.7% |
| 1993 | 29,408 tonnes | -7.6% |
| 1994 | 31,244 tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1995 | 27,852 tonnes | -10.9% |
| 1996 | 33,236 tonnes | +19.3% |
| 1997 | 34,023 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 35,070 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 33,614 tonnes | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 34,597 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 35,700 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 40,727 tonnes | +14.1% |
| 2003 | 41,586 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 47,445 tonnes | +14.1% |
| 2005 | 41,017 tonnes | -13.5% |
| 2006 | 39,767 tonnes | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 39,286 tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 40,719 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 35,199 tonnes | -13.6% |
| 2010 | 39,043 tonnes | +10.9% |
| 2011 | 73,112 tonnes | +87.3% |
| 2012 | 63,491 tonnes | -13.2% |
| 2013 | 71,448 tonnes | +12.5% |
| 2014 | 78,818 tonnes | +10.3% |
| 2015 | 77,217 tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 76,941 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 71,987 tonnes | -6.4% |
| 2018 | 73,121 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 75,190 tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 75,775 tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 76,174 tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 56,353 tonnes | -26.0% |
| 2023 | 52,907 tonnes | -6.1% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 52,907 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 1,224 tonnes, 43.2× the median. (73 countries reporting)
- Spain's 52,907 tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2,830 tonnes, 18.7× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Pesticide use in Spain 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +87.3% | 39,043 tonnes | 73,112 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 33,500 tonnes | 27,852 tonnes | 39,562 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 39,604 tonnes | 34,597 tonnes | 47,445 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 70,037 tonnes | 39,043 tonnes | 78,818 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 65,302 tonnes | 52,907 tonnes | 76,174 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More reference data data for Spain
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.898 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.06 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 52.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.89 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is pesticide use in Spain?
- Pesticide use in Spain was 52,907 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 78,818 tonnes in 2014.
- What is the lowest pesticide use recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 27,852 tonnes in 1995.
- How does Spain rank for pesticide use?
- Spain ranks 12th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is pesticide use rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain 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.