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FAO · Fisheries and Aquaculture Production

Fish production by country

How much fish and seafood does a country catch and farm in a year?

Of the 220 countries compared in 2024, China had the highest reading, 70,500,841, and 3 countries shared the lowest reading, 0. In the middle country the figure was 52,375. Among the 182 countries measured in every edition since 1950, the middle one moved from 3,500 to 69,190.

Part ofEnvironment & SustainabilityFood & Agriculture

Fish production · 2024

Context statistic

Highest of 220China

70,500,841

012024 · values only

The highest and the lowest

The three countries with the highest values of 220 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.

  1. 1

    China

    Eastern Asia

    70,500,841

  2. 2

    India

    Southern Asia

    18,370,438

  3. 3

    Indonesia

    South-eastern Asia

    13,640,322

Lowest in 2024

  1. San Marino0
  2. Liechtenstein0
  3. Andorra0

This statistic has no better end: the two ends describe size, not success.

Highest on each continent

02Every measured country

Fish production on a map

Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.

All regions

Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.

  • 0–3,379
  • 3,387–24,044
  • 24,179–97,871
  • 97,945–422,672
  • 476,547–70,500,841
  • No reading in 2024
  • Asia

    107,423

    the middle country, of 51 measured · 52 members

    China70,500,841

    Mongolia31

    Highest and lowest reading in Asia.

  • Africa

    96,501

    the middle country, of 54 measured · 55 members

    Egypt2,025,635

    Eswatini90

    Highest and lowest reading in Africa.

  • Oceania

    34,890

    the middle country, of 21 measured · 21 members

    New Zealand422,672

    Niue35

    Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.

  • Americas

    23,187

    the middle country, of 48 measured · 48 members

    Peru5,860,294

    Montserrat30

    Highest and lowest reading in Americas.

  • Europe

    23,157

    the middle country, of 46 measured · 49 members

    Russia5,327,006

    3 share 0

    Highest and lowest reading in Europe.

22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
  • South-eastern Asia

    1,696,732

    the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members

    Indonesia13,640,322

    Singapore4,116

    Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.

  • Eastern Asia

    712,919

    the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members

    China70,500,841

    Mongolia31

    Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.

  • Southern Asia

    410,760

    the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members

    India18,370,438

    Bhutan63

    Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.

  • South America

    289,921

    the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members

    Peru5,860,294

    Bolivia25,055

    Highest and lowest reading in South America.

  • Northern Europe

    197,165

    the middle country, of 12 measured · 13 members

    Norway3,822,797

    Isle of Man3,514

    Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.

  • Eastern Africa

    116,817

    the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members

    Uganda641,580

    Eritrea2,485

    Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.

  • Northern Africa

    101,334

    the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members

    Egypt2,025,635

    Libya33,109

    Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.

  • Micronesia

    87,348

    the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members

    Kiribati278,517

    Northern Mariana Islands73

    Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.

  • Central America

    87,187

    the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members

    Mexico2,192,537

    Guatemala39,980

    Highest and lowest reading in Central America.

  • Western Africa

    79,576

    the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members

    Nigeria1,113,540

    Cabo Verde5,587

    Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.

  • Middle Africa

    55,452

    the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members

    Angola631,824

    São Tomé and Príncipe5,730

    Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.

  • Melanesia

    44,393

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members

    Papua New Guinea344,241

    New Caledonia5,314

    Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.

  • Western Asia

    24,058

    the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members

    Türkiye933,119

    Palestine282

    Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.

  • Eastern Europe

    20,206

    the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members

    Russia5,327,006

    Slovakia3,961

    Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.

  • Central Asia

    19,428

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members

    Uzbekistan199,432

    Tajikistan5,483

    Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.

  • Southern Europe

    9,365

    the middle country, of 15 measured · 17 members

    Spain1,007,659

    2 share 0

    Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.

  • Polynesia

    6,360

    the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members

    Tuvalu45,442

    Niue35

    Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.

  • Western Europe

    5,358

    the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members

    France613,802

    Liechtenstein0

    Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.

  • Southern Africa

    2,181

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members

    South Africa476,547

    Eswatini90

    Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.

  • Caribbean

    1,483

    the middle country, of 24 measured · 24 members

    Dominican Republic24,044

    Montserrat30

    Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.

  • Australia and New Zealand

    2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.

    New Zealand422,672

    Australia294,469

    Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.

  • Northern America

    4 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, United States.

    United States4,220,467

    Bermuda338

    Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.

03The whole field at once

The spread

220 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 52,375; a quarter are above 278,096, and a quarter below 5,695. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.

020,000,00040,000,00060,000,000Africa54 comparedEgypt: 2,025,635Morocco: 1,409,441Nigeria: 1,113,540Uganda: 641,580Mauritania: 640,322Angola: 631,824Ghana: 617,969Tanzania: 605,107Mozambique: 502,543Senegal: 502,070South Africa: 476,547Guinea: 392,475Namibia: 381,570DR Congo: 271,765Ethiopia: 255,458Cameroon: 250,200Sierra Leone: 208,995Zambia: 196,950Malawi: 194,890Kenya: 168,703Madagascar: 165,462Seychelles: 135,763Mali: 113,248Chad: 109,095Tunisia: 104,723Algeria: 97,945Somalia: 97,871Côte d’Ivoire: 95,130Benin: 64,021Republic of the Congo: 55,452Gambia: 55,138South Sudan: 55,034Guinea-Bissau: 54,128Niger: 51,194Sudan: 46,510Rwanda: 43,060Mauritius: 39,909Zimbabwe: 34,523Libya: 33,109Burkina Faso: 33,040Gabon: 30,243Central African Republic: 29,380Liberia: 28,114Togo: 23,499Burundi: 19,500Comoros: 17,728Equatorial Guinea: 7,274São Tomé and Príncipe: 5,730Cabo Verde: 5,587Djibouti: 3,387Eritrea: 2,485Lesotho: 2,181Botswana: 196Eswatini: 90Eswatini 90 · Egypt 2,025,635Americas48 comparedPeru: 5,860,294United States: 4,220,467Chile: 3,507,682Mexico: 2,192,537Ecuador: 2,020,850Brazil: 1,546,233Argentina: 892,263Canada: 798,203Colombia: 301,886Panama: 294,836Venezuela: 277,955Greenland: 265,050Belize: 209,172Honduras: 98,204Nicaragua: 76,170El Salvador: 68,991Uruguay: 48,410Costa Rica: 44,308Guatemala: 39,980Paraguay: 39,560Guyana: 37,575Suriname: 32,197Bolivia: 25,055Dominican Republic: 24,044Cuba: 22,330Haiti: 16,743Jamaica: 13,444Trinidad and Tobago: 12,943Bahamas: 8,686Antigua and Barbuda: 3,295Curaçao: 2,451Turks and Caicos Islands: 2,306Grenada: 2,158Puerto Rico: 2,140Saint Lucia: 1,837British Virgin Islands: 1,129Dominica: 989Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 970Anguilla: 885Barbados: 728Saint Kitts and Nevis: 677United States Virgin Islands: 500Bermuda: 338Sint Maarten: 253Cayman Islands: 215Aruba: 177Saint Martin: 90Montserrat: 30Montserrat 30 · Peru 5,860,294Asia51 comparedChina: 70,500,841India: 18,370,438Indonesia: 13,640,322Vietnam: 9,069,155Bangladesh: 5,018,483Japan: 3,334,048Myanmar: 2,945,902Thailand: 2,541,432Philippines: 2,388,747South Korea: 1,826,918Malaysia: 1,696,732Iran: 1,498,225Taiwan: 1,134,773Türkiye: 933,119Cambodia: 925,637Oman: 732,505Pakistan: 711,083Sri Lanka: 410,760North Korea: 291,065Saudi Arabia: 247,207Laos: 232,299Georgia: 203,030Uzbekistan: 199,432Yemen: 152,440Nepal: 123,403Maldives: 107,423Hong Kong: 94,832Azerbaijan: 67,316Kazakhstan: 65,013United Arab Emirates: 60,641Iraq: 56,635Armenia: 27,000Qatar: 21,116Kyrgyzstan: 19,428Brunei: 17,697Israel: 16,915Turkmenistan: 16,165Bahrain: 15,163Afghanistan: 14,170Cyprus: 10,217Timor-Leste: 8,431Syria: 6,000Tajikistan: 5,483Singapore: 4,116Lebanon: 3,693Jordan: 3,379Kuwait: 2,912Macau: 1,500Palestine: 282Bhutan: 63Mongolia: 31Mongolia 31China 70,500,841Europe46 comparedRussia: 5,327,006Norway: 3,822,797Iceland: 1,049,648Spain: 1,007,659United Kingdom: 981,309Faroe Islands: 786,105France: 613,802Denmark: 496,178Netherlands: 330,109Portugal: 260,561Ireland: 244,765Italy: 230,641Germany: 219,046Poland: 184,294Greece: 184,037Sweden: 149,564Finland: 127,193Lithuania: 81,743Croatia: 72,215Estonia: 66,133Latvia: 57,110Ukraine: 53,557Hungary: 24,179Czechia: 22,135Malta: 19,758Bulgaria: 18,277Belgium: 17,371Albania: 16,452Romania: 15,816Moldova: 12,757Belarus: 9,577Serbia: 9,365Austria: 5,358Bosnia and Herzegovina: 5,237Switzerland: 4,080Slovakia: 3,961Isle of Man: 3,514North Macedonia: 2,475Montenegro: 2,408Slovenia: 1,323Gibraltar: 26Luxembourg: 8Monaco: 1Andorra: 0Liechtenstein: 0San Marino: 0Andorra 0 · Russia 5,327,006Oceania21 comparedNew Zealand: 422,672Papua New Guinea: 344,241Australia: 294,469Kiribati: 278,517Micronesia: 208,551Marshall Islands: 96,821Nauru: 87,348Solomon Islands: 69,388Tuvalu: 45,442Vanuatu: 44,393Fiji: 34,890French Polynesia: 13,602Samoa: 8,091Cook Islands: 6,360New Caledonia: 5,314American Samoa: 1,527Tonga: 1,122Palau: 814Guam: 110Northern Mariana Islands: 73Niue: 35Niue 35 · New Zealand 422,672middle country 52,375

04All 220 ever measured

Every country

In order, highest value first. No rank or position is shown: too many countries share the same value for an order to mean anything. This is a national total, so the countries at the top are the ones with the biggest fishing fleets and fish farms, not the ones fishing best or worst. Catches are credited to the country whose flag the fishing vessel flies, wherever the fish were caught. Seaweed is shown in its own column and is not part of the total.

The raw table

Showing 25 of 220 countries

  1. ChinaEastern Asia70,500,841
  2. IndiaSouthern Asia18,370,438
  3. IndonesiaSouth-eastern Asia13,640,322
  4. VietnamSouth-eastern Asia9,069,155
  5. PeruSouth America5,860,294
  6. RussiaEastern Europe5,327,006
  7. BangladeshSouthern Asia5,018,483
  8. United StatesNorthern America4,220,467
  9. NorwayNorthern Europe3,822,797
  10. ChileSouth America3,507,682
  11. JapanEastern Asia3,334,048
  12. MyanmarSouth-eastern Asia2,945,902
  13. ThailandSouth-eastern Asia2,541,432
  14. PhilippinesSouth-eastern Asia2,388,747
  15. MexicoCentral America2,192,537
  16. EgyptNorthern Africa2,025,635
  17. EcuadorSouth America2,020,850
  18. South KoreaEastern Asia1,826,918
  19. MalaysiaSouth-eastern Asia1,696,732
  20. BrazilSouth America1,546,233
  21. IranSouthern Asia1,498,225
  22. MoroccoNorthern Africa1,409,441
  23. TaiwanEastern Asia1,134,773
  24. NigeriaWestern Africa1,113,540
  25. IcelandNorthern Europe1,049,648

Values for 2024. The change column compares 2024 with 2023 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.

051950–2024 · 75 reference years

Over time

Each point is one year from 1950, as FAO's latest release gives it: FAO revises past years when countries correct their reports.

50,000100,000150,000200,000250,000195019601970198019902000201020202024AsiaAfricaOceaniaAmericasEurope
  • the middle country
  • the middle half of countries
  • the middle of the 182 countries measured every time
  • each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
YearCountriesMiddle countryMiddle halfMeasured every time
202422052,3755,695 – 278,09669,190
202322052,3075,616 – 254,24268,934
202222052,3776,393 – 251,34476,318
202122051,7105,974 – 255,05872,781
202022049,4965,598 – 255,21972,537
201922050,1556,145 – 269,62173,219
201822047,8046,397 – 278,91273,477
201722048,9296,684 – 271,64373,276
201622045,5626,961 – 264,70165,655
201522041,1486,302 – 235,41367,878
201422044,7355,367 – 227,41470,661
201322040,2825,710 – 232,09256,473
201222037,3496,131 – 223,33256,808
201121838,8985,524 – 223,54654,560
201021642,5615,428 – 231,93249,924
200921640,3514,976 – 243,46147,604
200821636,4274,575 – 239,62648,607
200721634,3684,671 – 244,00753,494
200621535,0355,116 – 243,21449,716
200521337,7784,197 – 255,52548,079
200421335,0284,661 – 248,36749,837
200321335,9184,273 – 236,34247,563
200221331,4054,515 – 240,65541,812
200121332,0393,677 – 234,12237,497
200021327,9683,634 – 229,37542,019
199921328,0953,650 – 216,92640,749
199821325,8003,625 – 210,68934,781
199721325,7883,546 – 205,80534,199
199621322,7823,236 – 195,29833,467
199521322,6083,567 – 208,98333,711
199421322,6103,133 – 214,30429,726
199321323,3252,845 – 219,90129,718
199220925,7503,059 – 229,51429,285
199119025,4582,771 – 238,24929,106
199019025,2802,725 – 244,55429,599
198919024,3052,833 – 223,72927,550
198819025,4172,658 – 237,42128,101
198719023,9102,792 – 215,39428,291
198619022,2722,610 – 214,87125,582
198519021,1982,614 – 215,66925,546
198419019,6662,906 – 200,24324,797
198319017,4182,427 – 196,14322,853
198219017,5522,436 – 179,79024,000
198119018,2892,526 – 169,36523,676
198019016,2682,294 – 171,66520,146
197919017,7122,614 – 161,89322,500
197819015,7912,730 – 149,02422,328
197719014,5842,466 – 153,74720,450
197619013,5112,240 – 151,99420,645
197519014,5261,992 – 141,59617,012
197419013,7431,700 – 136,89817,638
197319013,1501,658 – 142,32516,850
197219012,3351,700 – 123,19917,003
197119010,8111,505 – 113,39215,365
197019010,5501,500 – 102,95513,850
196918411,5001,590 – 109,96313,300
196818410,6001,545 – 103,77812,550
196718310,2001,530 – 93,65010,550
196618312,3001,530 – 87,05412,400
196518311,0001,380 – 79,78811,500
196418310,0001,440 – 80,31510,200
19631839,0001,250 – 71,3579,100
19621837,9001,150 – 65,6338,050
19611838,000840 – 64,3008,050
19601828,600900 – 65,0508,600
19591826,050863 – 64,3256,050
19581826,500825 – 62,0256,500
19571826,750720 – 56,5006,750
19561825,500748 – 52,2505,500
19551825,450708 – 54,5065,450
19541824,950633 – 51,6564,950
19531824,050600 – 48,9574,050
19521824,400525 – 38,8254,400
19511823,600500 – 34,8503,600
19501823,500500 – 34,1003,500

062023 → 2024

Who rose and fell

The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.

Rose most

before → after
  1. Peru3,590,134 → 5,860,294+2,270,160
  2. China68,255,932 → 70,500,841+2,244,909
  3. India17,420,999 → 18,370,438+949,438
  4. Indonesia13,359,919 → 13,640,322+280,402
  5. Vietnam8,824,482 → 9,069,155+244,673

Fell most

before → after
  1. United States4,675,382 → 4,220,467−454,915
  2. Russia5,712,031 → 5,327,006−385,026
  3. Iceland1,426,114 → 1,049,648−376,466
  4. Uganda846,493 → 641,580−204,913
  5. Norway4,003,421 → 3,822,797−180,624

220 countries were measured in both 2023 and 2024.

07Across every edition

Fish production in records

The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.

08The parts of the index

Inside the number

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) publishes the parts the headline is built from. Each part’s highest and lowest country, and its middle value.

PartHighestLowestMiddle country
Capture fisheries (tonnes, live weight)220 countriesChina12,943,7025 countries share 042,453
Aquaculture (tonnes, live weight)220 countriesChina57,557,138.621 countries share 0.02,773.4

09The measure

About fish production

This is how much fish, shellfish and other aquatic animals a country catches at sea and in rivers and lakes, or farms, in a year, in tonnes of live weight. It is FAO's global production record, kept for every country since 1950, with wild capture and aquaculture stored side by side.

What the number is: Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic animals caught or farmed, tonnes (live weight).

10Where it fits

Connections

Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.

All statistics

In the Country Index

Context, with no vote

This statistic is published in full under Environment & Sustainability and Food & Agriculture, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.

Environment & SustainabilityFood & AgricultureWhich statistics vote, and why

Moves with

Where fish production is higher, these tend to be higher too.

Moves against

Where fish production is higher, these tend to be lower.

Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 315 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.

On the same subject

11Keep reading

Explore further

More from FAO

12Questions

Fish production: questions and answers

Which country has the highest fish production?

China, at 70,500,841, among the 220 countries compared in 2024.

Which country has the lowest fish production?

3 countries share the lowest reading, 0, among the 220 compared in 2024, so no single country is named.

How many countries does the Fisheries and Aquaculture Production cover?

220 in 2024. The number measured varies from 182 to 220 between editions.

What is the world average fish production?

This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 220 compared in 2024, the figure was 52,375.

Is this Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s own ranking?

No ranking is shown. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything, so none is derived.

How often is the Fisheries and Aquaculture Production published?

This site holds 75 reference years, 1950–2024, all recalculated in Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s 2026 report on one method — not 75 separate publications.

Where does the data come from, and can I download it?

From Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), under CC BY 4.0. FAO's FishStat Global Production dataset, read from FAO's own download. FishStat records production species by species; the total here adds those records up in the way FAO's own yearbook does, leaving out whales, seals and crocodiles, which are counted by head, and pearls, corals and sponges. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.

13Method

Sources, method and citation

Source

Fisheries and Aquaculture Production — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

FAO's FishStat Global Production dataset, read from FAO's own download. FishStat records production species by species; the total here adds those records up in the way FAO's own yearbook does, leaving out whales, seals and crocodiles, which are counted by head, and pearls, corals and sponges.

Newest edition

Report year 2024Data year 2024

Cite the source as: FAO. 2026. FishStat: Global production by production source 1950–2024 (release 2026.1.0). Accessed on 29 September 2026. https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/collection/global_production Licence: CC-BY-4.0.

Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-09-29.

The full 2024 table, row for row

How this page reads the numbers

  • No rank or position is shown: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything.
  • This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
  • A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
  • Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.

The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Fish production by country: Fisheries and Aquaculture Production, data from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/fish-production

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