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FAO · Pesticide Use per Hectare
Pesticide use by country
How much pesticide is applied to each hectare of cropland?
Of the 181 countries compared in 2024, Antigua and Barbuda had the highest reading, 37.72, and 4 countries shared the lowest reading, 0.00. In the middle country the figure was 1.73. Among the 152 countries measured in every edition since 1990, the middle one moved from 0.93 to 2.08.
Pesticide use · 2024
Context statistic
Highest of 181Antigua and Barbuda
37.72012024 · position · derived
The highest and the lowest
The three countries with the highest values of 181 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.
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02Every measured country
Pesticide use on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.
- 0.00–0.41
- 0.42–1.18
- 1.19–2.78
- 3.09–7.51
- 7.72–37.72
- No reading in 2024 (2 measured in an earlier edition)
- Americas
7.45
the middle country, of 33 measured · 48 members
Antigua and Barbuda37.72
Cuba0.22Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
2.70
the middle country, of 12 measured · 21 members
Nauru18.82
Vanuatu0.13Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Asia
2.01
the middle country, of 43 measured · 52 members
Qatar35.11
Iraq0.09Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Europe
1.73
the middle country, of 40 measured · 49 members
Andorra21.06
Iceland0.02Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Africa
0.71
the middle country, of 53 measured · 55 members
Djibouti25.694 share 0.00
Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Caribbean
17.34
the middle country, of 12 measured · 24 members
Antigua and Barbuda37.72Cuba0.22Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Eastern Asia
11.55
the middle country, of 6 measured · 8 members
Hong Kong18.00
China1.88Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- South America
6.60
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Paraguay20.59
Venezuela1.19Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Central America
5.66
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Panama19.97
Mexico2.69Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Western Europe
3.90
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Netherlands7.51
Luxembourg2.06Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Southern Europe
3.63
the middle country, of 13 measured · 17 members
Andorra21.06
North Macedonia0.22Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Southern Africa
3.44
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Eswatini6.15
Namibia1.22Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- South-eastern Asia
3.04
the middle country, of 10 measured · 11 members
Vietnam13.90
Laos0.12Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Western Asia
2.19
the middle country, of 15 measured · 19 members
Qatar35.11Iraq0.09Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Northern Europe
1.38
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Ireland4.94Iceland0.02Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Southern Asia
1.22
the middle country, of 8 measured · 9 members
Maldives23.67
India0.24Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Eastern Europe
1.19
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Moldova3.36
Ukraine0.58Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Northern Africa
0.83
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Egypt3.22
Sudan0.19Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Eastern Africa
0.54
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Djibouti25.69
Tanzania0.00Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Middle Africa
0.41
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Republic of the Congo2.692 share 0.01
Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Western Africa
0.27
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Ghana7.253 share 0.00
Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
1 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: New Zealand.
New Zealand8.87Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Central Asia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan.
Tajikistan0.59
Kazakhstan0.29Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Fiji4.42Vanuatu0.13Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Micronesia
4 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau.
Nauru18.82
Kiribati0.98Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
United States2.78
Canada2.67Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
3 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu.
Samoa9.50
Tonga0.65Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
03The whole field at once
The spread
181 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 1.73; a quarter are above 5.66, and a quarter below 0.65. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 183 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. Neither end is the good end, and the measure is mass rather than harm: a kilogram of one compound is not a kilogram of another, and modern pesticides work at far lower doses than the ones they replaced. A very low figure often means subsistence farming losing crops to pests, not a deliberate choice.
Showing 25 of 183 countries
Values for 2024. The change column compares 2024 with 2023 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051990–2024 · 35 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 1990.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 152 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 181 | 1.73 | 0.65 – 5.66 | 2.08 |
| 2023 | 181 | 1.70 | 0.65 – 5.42 | 1.76 |
| 2022 | 182 | 1.66 | 0.62 – 5.99 | 1.76 |
| 2021 | 182 | 1.73 | 0.64 – 6.32 | 1.89 |
| 2020 | 182 | 1.71 | 0.65 – 6.28 | 2.05 |
| 2019 | 182 | 1.76 | 0.65 – 5.35 | 1.85 |
| 2018 | 182 | 1.77 | 0.57 – 5.28 | 1.91 |
| 2017 | 183 | 1.62 | 0.55 – 4.88 | 1.94 |
| 2016 | 183 | 1.55 | 0.51 – 4.99 | 1.67 |
| 2015 | 183 | 1.56 | 0.47 – 4.92 | 1.60 |
| 2014 | 183 | 1.51 | 0.46 – 5.72 | 1.55 |
| 2013 | 183 | 1.47 | 0.41 – 5.36 | 1.69 |
| 2012 | 183 | 1.46 | 0.38 – 4.93 | 1.61 |
| 2011 | 182 | 1.34 | 0.36 – 5.02 | 1.64 |
| 2010 | 182 | 1.51 | 0.30 – 4.97 | 1.56 |
| 2009 | 182 | 1.20 | 0.29 – 4.29 | 1.44 |
| 2008 | 182 | 1.39 | 0.27 – 4.86 | 1.48 |
| 2007 | 182 | 1.23 | 0.29 – 4.77 | 1.48 |
| 2006 | 182 | 1.17 | 0.30 – 3.89 | 1.27 |
| 2005 | 180 | 1.17 | 0.28 – 4.12 | 1.45 |
| 2004 | 180 | 1.10 | 0.29 – 3.93 | 1.21 |
| 2003 | 180 | 1.01 | 0.24 – 3.80 | 1.09 |
| 2002 | 180 | 0.90 | 0.19 – 3.57 | 0.92 |
| 2001 | 180 | 0.91 | 0.19 – 3.63 | 0.93 |
| 2000 | 180 | 0.93 | 0.21 – 3.09 | 0.96 |
| 1999 | 178 | 0.99 | 0.22 – 3.08 | 1.03 |
| 1998 | 178 | 1.00 | 0.23 – 3.56 | 1.02 |
| 1997 | 178 | 0.93 | 0.22 – 3.75 | 0.96 |
| 1996 | 178 | 0.90 | 0.23 – 3.87 | 0.90 |
| 1995 | 178 | 0.92 | 0.21 – 3.88 | 0.93 |
| 1994 | 178 | 0.93 | 0.19 – 3.25 | 0.96 |
| 1993 | 178 | 0.92 | 0.17 – 3.11 | 0.92 |
| 1992 | 174 | 0.95 | 0.19 – 3.20 | 0.95 |
| 1991 | 156 | 0.94 | 0.16 – 3.82 | 0.93 |
| 1990 | 154 | 0.93 | 0.14 – 3.59 | 0.93 |
062023 → 2024
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Rose most
before → afterFell most
before → after
Ecuador14.62 → 9.81 · 19th → 30th−4.81
Bahrain4.25 → 0.86 · 55th → 124th−3.39- Nauru21.99 → 18.82 · 8th → 14th−3.17
Suriname16.36 → 14.01 · 16th → 20th−2.35
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines20.76 → 18.49 · 10th → 15th−2.27
181 countries were measured in both 2023 and 2024.
07Across every edition
Pesticide use in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
37.72
Pesticide use (kg per hectare of cropland)
Lowest reading on record
Reached 122 times by 8 countries — shared, so no holder is named
0.00
Pesticide use (kg per hectare of cropland)
Biggest rise between editions
+17.97
13.86 → 31.83
Biggest fall between editions
−18.03
27.94 → 9.91
Biggest change since first measured
+19.06
1.53 → 20.59
Highest most often
13 of 35
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The parts of the index
Inside the number
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) publishes the parts the headline is built from. Each part’s highest and lowest country, and its middle value.
| Part | Highest | Lowest | Middle country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insecticides (tonnes)181 countries |  Indonesia171,846 | 2 countries share 0 | 308 |
| Herbicides (tonnes)174 countries |  Brazil427,416 | 6 countries share 0 | 588 |
| Fungicides and bactericides (tonnes)179 countries | Brazil169,834 | 10 countries share 0 | 406 |
09The measure
About pesticide use
This is how much pesticide is applied per hectare of cropland. With fertiliser consumption, already on this site, it describes how intensively a country farms — the cost side of the yields story.
What the number is: Pesticide use (kg per hectare of cropland).
10Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Health & Wellbeing and Environment & Sustainability, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Health & WellbeingEnvironment & SustainabilityWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where pesticide use is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- GNI per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 97 countries in commonρ 0.60
- Employment in ServicesILO · 167 countries in commonρ 0.56
- Ecological FootprintKeyGlobal Footprint Network · 123 countries in commonρ 0.53
Moves against
Where pesticide use is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Employment in AgricultureILO · 167 countries in commonρ −0.54
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 150 countries in commonρ −0.51
- Global Multidimensional Poverty IndexOPHI · 100 countries in commonρ −0.49
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 125 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
11Keep reading
Explore further
The countries at either end
12Questions
Pesticide use: questions and answers
Which country has the highest pesticide use?
Antigua and Barbuda, at 37.72, among the 181 countries compared in 2024.
Which country has the lowest pesticide use?
4 countries share the lowest reading, 0.00, among the 181 compared in 2024, so no single country is named.
How many countries does the Pesticide Use per Hectare cover?
181 in 2024, and 183 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 154 to 183 between editions.
What is the world average pesticide use?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 181 compared in 2024, the figure was 1.73.
Is this Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s own ranking?
No. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Pesticide Use per Hectare published?
This site holds 35 reference years, 1990–2024, all recalculated in Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s 2026 report on one method — not 35 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), under CC BY 4.0. FAOSTAT's Pesticides Use domain, read from the FAO's own bulk download. Every edition is available on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, unrounded.
13Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Pesticide Use per Hectare — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
FAOSTAT's Pesticides Use domain, read from the FAO's own bulk download.
Newest edition
Report year 2024Data year 2024
Cite the source as: FAO. FAOSTAT. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-09-11.
How this page reads the numbers
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The full note on this data
35 reference years (1990–2024), covering 154 to 183 countries, from FAOSTAT's Pesticides Use domain, with the insecticide, herbicide and fungicide tonnages stored beside the headline. The companion to fertiliser consumption already on the site: together they describe agricultural intensity, which is the environmental cost side of the yield story. ⚠ NEITHER END IS BETTER, and it is set that way deliberately to match fertiliser use, the measure it is meant to be read beside. Heavy application is an environmental and health cost; very low application is often subsistence farming losing crops to pests rather than a choice anybody made. ⚠ IT IS MASS, NOT HARM. A kilogram of one compound is not a kilogram of another, and modern pesticides are applied at a fraction of the rates of the ones they replaced — so a falling figure can mean a switch to more potent chemistry rather than less pressure on the environment. The FAO ranks nobody, so no rank is stored; the POSITION is derived here and labelled as ours.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Pesticide use by country: Pesticide Use per Hectare, data from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/pesticide-use