Pesticide Usage by Country 2025

During the past few years, there has been a major push to get countries to reduce their pesticide usage. Unfortunately, a lot of countries still use a tremendous amount of pesticides. As of 2021 data, Brazil uses more pesticides than any other country on Earth. Every year, Brazil uses approximately 719.5 thousand tons of pesticides. Only one other country on Earth uses more than 400 million kilograms of pesticides yearly, and that is the United States, which is second on the list, using approximately 457.4 million kilograms of pesticides every year.

Third on the list, Indonesia uses 283.3 million kilograms of pesticides annually. Only two other countries use more than 100 million kilograms of pesticides yearly as of 2021, and those are Argentina and China, with 241.5 and 233.9 thousand tons (million kg), respectively.

Why Do Farmers Like To Use Pesticides?

Farmers like to use pesticides for several reasons. The biggest one is that this is an easy way for them to protect their crops. Farmers do not want pests damaging their crops before they can sell them. They have been looking for a way to kill the animals and insects that eat their crops without harming the crops themselves. One of the easiest ways to do so is to use pesticides. Plenty of pesticides have been specifically designed to kill pests that eat the crops without harming the crops or the people who eat them. Farmers also like to use pesticides because they can protect the fruits of their labor affordably.

Why Are Pesticides Bad?

On the other hand, a significant amount of research done during the past few years has shown that pesticides can be harmful to humans. For example, pesticides have the potential to harm people if they are not careful about how these chemicals are sprayed. Even though crops are usually washed before they are eaten, it is still possible for farmers to get sick from pesticides when they are spraying them on their crops. Pesticides can also wash into the water supply, potentially harming animals that drink the water and people who use that water for cooking, bathing, and drinking. For this reason, there has been a major push to reduce the amount of pesticides countries use.

Why Does Brazil Use So Much Pesticides?

Brazil uses more pesticides than any other country mainly because of its massive farming industry and warm, pest-friendly climate. As one of the world’s top producers of crops like soybeans and corn, Brazil relies on pesticides to keep pests from ruining harvests. The widespread use of single-crop farms (monocultures) makes it easier for pests to spread, so chemicals are often the go-to solution. Plus, Brazil allows many pesticides that are banned elsewhere, making them more available to farmers looking for quick, affordable fixes.