Sulfur Fertilizers Market - Forecast from 2026 to 2031

Sulfur Fertilizers Market, with a 3.01% CAGR, is projected to increase from USD 5.005 billion in 2025 to USD 5.979 billion in 2031.

Sulfur fertilizers-encompassing ammonium sulfate (21-0-0-24S), ammonium thiosulfate (12-0-0-26S), potassium thiosulfate, elemental sulfur (90-99.5 % S), sulfate esters, and various N-P-K-S blended grades-represent an essential secondary nutrient category for modern crop nutrition. Sulfur is a structural component of methionine, cysteine, and numerous coenzymes, and plays a critical role in chlorophyll formation, N-use efficiency, oil synthesis in Brassica and Allium species, and the activation of the nitrate reductase pathway. Global soils have experienced widespread S depletion over the past three decades due to higher-yielding varieties, reduced atmospheric deposition following clean-air legislation, and the shift to low-S or zero-S concentrated fertilizers (urea, DAP, MAP).

Structural demand is driven by the convergence of intensifying caloric and protein requirements with diminishing intrinsic soil sulfur reserves. Population-driven dietary shifts toward higher meat, dairy, and vegetable consumption dramatically increase per-hectare sulfur offtake, particularly in oilseed rape, soybean, corn, and wheat rotations. Yield-gap closure in emerging economies now routinely requires 15-40 kg S ha-1 on responsive soils, with deficiency symptoms (chlorosis of younger leaves, stunted growth) increasingly documented across Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

Formulation preferences vary by crop and application window. Ammonium sulfate remains the dominant solid source in rice-wheat systems and as a nitrogen-sulfur co-granule in broadacre cereals. Liquid thiosulfates (ATS, KTS) are gaining share in fertigation and foliar programs for high-value horticulture due to rapid plant availability and compatibility with polyphosphate and UAN blends. Elemental sulfur, typically micronized to 80-120 mesh for faster oxidation, continues to serve long-residual pasture and pre-plant oilseed applications, though conversion rates remain soil- and temperature-dependent.

Asia Pacific has solidified its position as the largest and fastest-growing regional market, reflecting the coincidence of acute soil sulfur depletion, intensive double- and triple-crop rotations, and aggressive yield-scaling targets in China, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. China's 14th Five-Year Plan emphasis on grain security and the phase-out of low-analysis SSP has accelerated adoption of ammonium sulfate and S-containing compound fertilizers. India's simultaneous push for higher oilseed and pulse production under the National Food Security Mission has created strong pull for S-enhanced DAP and NPK complexes. Regional demand is further amplified by the expansion of sugarcane, palm oil, and rubber plantations-all heavy sulfur feeders-across Southeast Asia.

Competitive dynamics increasingly favor manufacturers capable of delivering high-analysis, low-chloride, and dust-free granular products with balanced secondary and micronutrient inclusion. Co-granulation technology that prevents segregation of elemental sulfur or gypsum particles is becoming a key differentiator in broadacre blends. Supply-chain resilience-particularly access to refinery by-product sulfuric acid and secure elemental sulfur from Middle East and Central Asian sources-remains a critical advantage amid periodic tightness in global traded volumes.

Environmental and regulatory headwinds are modest but growing. Stringent SOx emission caps at production facilities and retailer-driven Scope 3 decarbonization initiatives are pushing manufacturers toward lower-carbon ammonium sulfate routes and recycled-sulfur streams. The parallel rise of fully soluble organic and biological amendments represents a longer-term substitution risk in premium horticulture segments, though these remain cost-prohibitive at row-crop scale.

In conclusion, sulfur fertilizers have transitioned from a niche corrective input to a standard component of balanced nutrition programs across most agronomic systems. With Asia Pacific accounting for the majority of incremental global demand and no near-term reversal of soil depletion trends, the category is locked into a multi-year structural growth trajectory that will only intensify as yield ceilings continue to rise and atmospheric deposition remains negligible.

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• Historical data from 2021 to 2025 & forecast data from 2026 to 2031
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Sulfur Fertilizers Market Segmentation:

BY TYPE

• Sulfate
• Elemental Sulfur
• Sulfate of micronutrients
• Others

BY FORM

• Solid
• Liquid

BY APPLICATION

• Cereals and Grains
• Oilseeds and pulses
• Fruits and Vegetables
• Turf and Ornamental
• Others

BY GEOGRAPHY

• North America
• USA
• Canada
• Mexico
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Others
• Europe
• Germany
• France
• United Kingdom
• Spain
• Others
• Middle East and Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE
• Others
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• South Korea
• Indonesia
• Thailand
• Others