China vs United States: Global aquaculture production and wild fish used for animal feed

China
3.12 million tonnes
in 2015
United States
636,016 tonnes
in 2015
China rank
2nd
United States rank
3rd

Global aquaculture production and wild fish used for animal feed over time

  • China
  • United States
01.0M2.0M3.0M195019822015

How they compare

China currently reports 3.12 million tonnes against 636,016 tonnes in United States, a difference of 2.49 million tonnes.

That makes China's figure about 4.9 times United States's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1950 it was United States ahead.

China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 3rd of 69 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and United States in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade China United States Difference Ahead
1950s 440.94 tonnes 690,934 tonnes 690,493 tonnes United States
1960s 606.74 tonnes 758,710 tonnes 758,104 tonnes United States
1970s 4,970 tonnes 995,768 tonnes 990,798 tonnes United States
1980s 172,704 tonnes 1.20 million tonnes 1.02 million tonnes United States
1990s 1.28 million tonnes 968,754 tonnes 313,539 tonnes China
2000s 2.37 million tonnes 784,698 tonnes 1.59 million tonnes China
2010s 2.77 million tonnes 745,059 tonnes 2.02 million tonnes China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher global aquaculture production and wild fish used for animal feed, China or United States?
China, at 3.12 million tonnes against 636,016 tonnes in United States as of 2015.
What is the difference in global aquaculture production and wild fish used for animal feed between China and United States?
2.49 million tonnes, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
66 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2015.
How do China and United States rank globally for global aquaculture production and wild fish used for animal feed?
China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 3rd of 69 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Global aquaculture production and wild fish used for animal feed. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs United States: Global aquaculture production and wild fish used for animal feed. Statizoid, drawing on Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/compare/global-aquaculture-wild-fish-feed/china/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Global aquaculture production and wild fish used for animal feed
Unit
tonnes
Source
Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
69 places, 4,524 data points, 1950–2015
Last refreshed

Some wild fish catch is processed into fishmeal and oils for animal feed – this is used for land-based livestock and fish farms (aquaculture). Efficiency improvements in aquaculture, and changes in the diets of farmed fish means production has increased rapidly, without increasing inputs from wild fish.