Imidacloprid has been the most widely used insecticide in the world from 1999[5] through at least 2018.[6][7

During the late 1990s, imidacloprid became widely used.[5][6][7] Beginning in the early 2000s, two other neonicotinoids, clothianidin and thiamethoxam, entered the market. As of 2013, virtually all US corn was treated with one of these two insecticides.[30] As of 2014, about a third of US soybean acreage was planted with neonicotinoid-treated seeds, usually imidacloprid or thiamethoxam.[31]