Fertilizer Production by Country 2024

The world’s agricultural industry thrives on fertilizer. Fertilizer helps maximize crop output, make go-to agricultural techniques more reliable, and keep the world’s food stores stable. That said, the ability to produce, export, and import fertilizer is a critical factor in how well a country fares from an agricultural standpoint.

However, some countries produce more fertilizer than others from year to year. Here’s an overview of the top fertilizer producers in the world, as well as a look at factors that can affect fertilizer production from one country to the next.

Top Fertilizer-Producing Countries Worldwide

The world’s top-producing countries when it comes to fertilizer are:

Additional countries that also produce abundant fertilizer from year to year include China, Brazil, Australia, Thailand, Germany, France, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

Countries that consistently produce a lot of fertilizer are also frequently world leaders when it comes to world agricultural production. For example, the United States tops the list of fertilizer producers and is also a leading contributor to global produce supplies.

Factors That Contribute to National Fertilizer Production

Factors and influences that can affect a country’s ability to produce fertilizer in abundance include but are not limited to the following.

National Population

Larger countries with more mouths to feed need larger fertilizer stores in order to ensure the high crop yields they require to meet national demand.

Types of Crops Grown

Each crop a country could decide to grow has its own unique nutritional needs. Those needs, in turn, will affect the type and amount of fertilizer needed. If a country’s staple crops require more fertilizer, that same country is likely to be a higher fertilizer producer.

Resource Availability

Fertilizer production requires large amounts of specific key ingredients, including phosphorous, potassium, and nitrogen. Nations without adequate access to natural stores of these ingredients must import them from elsewhere, and this can affect their ability to produce fertilizer domestically.

Access to Technology and Labor

Fertilizer production – especially on a larger international scale – calls for access to technology, techniques, chemical tech, and qualified labor. Whether a nation has enough access to these resources will impact domestic fertilizer production.