In 2024, 9.8 million tonnes of mineral fertilisers (nitrogen and phosphorus) were used in agricultural production across the EU. This represented a 6.0% increase compared with the quantity used in 2023 (9.2 million tonnes), though it remained 15.8% below the relative peak in 2017.

While nitrogen and phosphorus fertilisers play a crucial role in boosting crop yields, their excessive use can lead to nutrient leaching (run-off), harming ecosystems and contributing to water and soil pollution.

The use of nitrogen-based fertilisers in EU agricultural production increased to an estimated 8.9 million tonnes in 2024, representing a year-on-year increase of 5.8%.

The use of nitrogen-based fertilisers in agriculture was highest in the EU's main agricultural producers, particularly France (1.8 million tonnes), Germany (1.1 million tonnes) and Spain (0.9 million tonnes).

This information comes from the latest data on the consumption of inorganic fertilisers, published by Eurostat.

Source dataset: aei_fm_usefert

In 2024, the use of phosphorus fertilisers in EU agriculture was 0.9 million tonnes, representing a sharp rise (7.7%) compared with the level in 2023.

The countries with the highest use of phosphorus-based fertilisers in agriculture were Spain (0.14 million tonnes), France (0.12 million tonnes) Italy (0.10 million tonnes), Romania (0.09 million tonnes) and Germany (0.07 million tonnes); together, they accounted for over half of the EU's total use.