France vs Spain: Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture
France
189,039 metric tons
in 2024
Spain
246,201 metric tons
in 2024
France rank
28th
Spain rank
25th
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture over time
- France
- Spain
How they compare
Spain currently reports 246,201 metric tons against 189,039 metric tons in France, a difference of 57,162 metric tons.
That makes Spain's figure about 1.3 times France's.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1960 it was France ahead.
France ranks 28th and Spain ranks 25th of 215 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, France averaged higher in 2 and Spain in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 108,586 metric tons | 55,000 metric tons | 53,586 metric tons | France |
| 1970s | 143,124 metric tons | 179,927 metric tons | 36,802 metric tons | Spain |
| 1980s | 214,403 metric tons | 242,337 metric tons | 27,934 metric tons | Spain |
| 1990s | 269,654 metric tons | 222,871 metric tons | 46,783 metric tons | France |
| 2000s | 244,398 metric tons | 276,329 metric tons | 31,931 metric tons | Spain |
| 2010s | 190,334 metric tons | 286,410 metric tons | 96,076 metric tons | Spain |
| 2020s | 193,692 metric tons | 262,582 metric tons | 68,890 metric tons | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture, France or Spain?
- Spain, at 246,201 metric tons against 189,039 metric tons in France as of 2024.
- What is the difference in seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture between France and Spain?
- 57,162 metric tons, with Spain ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Spain?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
- How do France and Spain rank globally for seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture?
- France ranks 28th and Spain ranks 25th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Aquaculture means raising fish and other seafood — including molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants — in farms. Capture fishery production is how much wild fish is caught, whether for commercial, industrial, recreational, or subsistence use.