Pesticide use in Switzerland
Switzerland: Pesticide use was 1,531 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Pesticide use in Switzerland, 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 Switzerland is 1,531 tonnes, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 29.3% on the previous year and down 32.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pesticide use in Switzerland peaked at 2,282 tonnes in 1990 and was at its lowest, 1,359 tonnes, in 2006.
That places Switzerland 100th out of 211 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Pesticide use in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2,282 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 2,056 tonnes | -9.9% |
| 1992 | 2,019 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1993 | 1,935 tonnes | -4.2% |
| 1994 | 1,923 tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 1,826 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 1996 | 1,746 tonnes | -4.4% |
| 1997 | 1,644 tonnes | -5.8% |
| 1998 | 1,564 tonnes | -4.9% |
| 1999 | 1,527 tonnes | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 1,577 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 1,562 tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 1,527 tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 1,477 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 1,391 tonnes | -5.8% |
| 2005 | 1,388 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 1,359 tonnes | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 2,099 tonnes | +54.5% |
| 2008 | 2,237 tonnes | +6.6% |
| 2009 | 2,224 tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 2,148 tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 2,274 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 2,221 tonnes | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 2,277 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 2,233 tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 2,207 tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 2,140 tonnes | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 2,007 tonnes | -6.2% |
| 2018 | 2,020 tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 1,921 tonnes | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 1,885 tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 2,220 tonnes | +17.8% |
| 2022 | 2,166 tonnes | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 1,531 tonnes | -29.3% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 1,531 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 1,224 tonnes, 1.3× the median. (73 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 1,531 tonnes is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2,830 tonnes, 54% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Pesticide use in Switzerland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +54.5% | 1,359 tonnes | 2,099 tonnes |
| 2023 | -29.3% | 2,166 tonnes | 1,531 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1,852 tonnes | 1,527 tonnes | 2,282 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,684 tonnes | 1,359 tonnes | 2,237 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,145 tonnes | 1,921 tonnes | 2,277 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,950 tonnes | 1,531 tonnes | 2,220 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More reference data data for Switzerland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5507 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2683 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.28 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.28 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.272 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is pesticide use in Switzerland?
- Pesticide use in Switzerland was 1,531 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 2,282 tonnes in 1990.
- What is the lowest pesticide use recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,359 tonnes in 2006.
- How does Switzerland rank for pesticide use?
- Switzerland ranks 100th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is pesticide use rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.