Which has higher fish discards, Brazil or South Korea?

Brazil, at 298,333 against 229,517 in South Korea as of 2018.

How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and South Korea?

69 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2018.

Where does this data come from?

Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Fish discards. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Brazil vs South Korea: Fish discards

Brazil

298,333

in 2018

South Korea

229,517

in 2018

Brazil rank

8th

South Korea rank

10th

Fish discards over time

Brazil
South Korea

How they compare

Brazil currently reports 298,333 against 229,517 in South Korea, a difference of 68,816.

That makes Brazil's figure about 1.3 times South Korea's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 69 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Korea ahead.

Brazil ranks 8th and South Korea ranks 10th of 161 countries.

South Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Brazil	South Korea	Difference	Ahead
1950s	76,066	187,794	111,728	South Korea
1960s	172,198	299,041	126,843	South Korea
1970s	266,383	652,882	386,499	South Korea
1980s	266,088	741,346	475,258	South Korea
1990s	217,918	658,537	440,619	South Korea
2000s	275,363	461,271	185,908	South Korea
2010s	297,794	315,988	18,194	South Korea

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher fish discards, Brazil or South Korea?: Brazil, at 298,333 against 229,517 in South Korea as of 2018.
What is the difference in fish discards between Brazil and South Korea?: 68,816, with Brazil ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and South Korea?: 69 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2018.
How do Brazil and South Korea rank globally for fish discards?: Brazil ranks 8th and South Korea ranks 10th of 161 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Fish discards. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Fish discards
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 161 places, 9,371 data points, 1950–2018
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Discards are animals thrown back (alive or dead) into the sea after being caught during fishing activities. This represents bycatch (fish caught unintentionally) that is not brought ashore for use.