Global ammonia production 2010-2023

Ammonia production has remained fairly stable in recent years. In 2023, the global production of ammonia was estimated at some 150 million metric tons. East Asia was the region with the highest production of ammonia with approximately 64.6 million metric tons. China alone produced roughly 43 million metric tons of ammonia in 2023, leading the ranking of ammonia-producing countries worldwide.

What is ammonia?

Ammonia (NH₃) is a colorless gas composed of nitrogen and hydrogen. It has an 82.2 percent nitrogen content and constitutes a necessary intermediate for all downstream nitrogen products. Most of the ammonia produced is used for agricultural fertilizers as a source of nitrogen for crops. Ammonia is also widely used in cleaning preparations, as a refrigerant gas, and in plastics manufacturing, among others. The most common industrial procedure used to produce ammonia is known as the Haber-Bosch process, which consists of the reaction of hydrogen and nitrogen at high pressure and temperature using a catalyst.

Ammonia production in the U.S.

The production of ammonia in the United States stood at approximately 14 million metric tons in 2023, recording an increase of roughly 50 percent in the last eight years. CF Industries, Nutrien, and LSB Industries are the three largest ammonia producers in the country. CF Industries has by far the largest ammonia production capacity in the U.S. at over seven million metric tons and owns the top three ammonia production facilities in the United States.