Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture was 12,168 metric tons in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
12,168 metric tons
Change on year
down 26.1%
World rank
81st
of 215 countries
All-time high
30,352 metric tons
in 2013
All-time low
0 metric tons
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Costa Rica, 1960–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in metric tons.
Analysis
The most recent figure for seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Costa Rica is 12,168 metric tons, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 26.1% on the previous year and down 54.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Costa Rica peaked at 30,352 metric tons in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0 metric tons, in 1960.
Costa Rica ranks 81st of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1961 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1962 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1963 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1964 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1965 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1966 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1967 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1968 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1969 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1970 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1971 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1972 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1973 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1974 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1975 | 2 metric tons | — |
| 1976 | 4 metric tons | +100.0% |
| 1977 | 9 metric tons | +125.0% |
| 1978 | 13 metric tons | +44.4% |
| 1979 | 19 metric tons | +46.2% |
| 1980 | 27 metric tons | +42.1% |
| 1981 | 41 metric tons | +51.9% |
| 1982 | 58 metric tons | +41.5% |
| 1983 | 79 metric tons | +36.2% |
| 1984 | 185 metric tons | +134.2% |
| 1985 | 106 metric tons | -42.7% |
| 1986 | 106 metric tons | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 270 metric tons | +154.7% |
| 1988 | 399 metric tons | +47.8% |
| 1989 | 410 metric tons | +2.8% |
| 1990 | 573 metric tons | +39.8% |
| 1991 | 1,975 metric tons | +244.7% |
| 1992 | 2,244 metric tons | +13.6% |
| 1993 | 3,335 metric tons | +48.6% |
| 1994 | 3,910 metric tons | +17.2% |
| 1995 | 6,756 metric tons | +72.8% |
| 1996 | 6,986 metric tons | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 7,000 metric tons | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 7,937 metric tons | +13.4% |
| 1999 | 9,324 metric tons | +17.5% |
| 2000 | 9,708 metric tons | +4.1% |
| 2001 | 10,520 metric tons | +8.4% |
| 2002 | 17,892 metric tons | +70.1% |
| 2003 | 20,546 metric tons | +14.8% |
| 2004 | 24,708 metric tons | +20.3% |
| 2005 | 24,038 metric tons | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 19,962 metric tons | -17.0% |
| 2007 | 25,765 metric tons | +29.1% |
| 2008 | 27,059 metric tons | +5.0% |
| 2009 | 24,754 metric tons | -8.5% |
| 2010 | 26,839 metric tons | +8.4% |
| 2011 | 27,714 metric tons | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 27,287 metric tons | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 30,352 metric tons | +11.2% |
| 2014 | 26,766 metric tons | -11.8% |
| 2015 | 23,560 metric tons | -12.0% |
| 2016 | 22,212 metric tons | -5.7% |
| 2017 | 21,124 metric tons | -4.9% |
| 2018 | 21,955 metric tons | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 22,046 metric tons | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 16,269 metric tons | -26.2% |
| 2021 | 17,309 metric tons | +6.4% |
| 2022 | 16,772 metric tons | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 16,468 metric tons | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 12,168 metric tons | -26.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 metric tons | 0 metric tons | 0 metric tons | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.7 metric tons | 0 metric tons | 19 metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 168.1 metric tons | 27 metric tons | 410 metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 5,004 metric tons | 573 metric tons | 9,324 metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 20,495 metric tons | 9,708 metric tons | 27,059 metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 24,985 metric tons | 21,124 metric tons | 30,352 metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 15,797 metric tons | 12,168 metric tons | 17,309 metric tons | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 78 Republic of Moldova 12,757 metric tons compare
- 79 Argentina 12,175 metric tons compare
- 80 Afghanistan 12,170 metric tons compare
- 82 El Salvador 11,868 metric tons compare
- 83 Bulgaria 11,429 metric tons compare
- 84 Sweden 10,062 metric tons compare
More agriculture & rural data for Costa Rica
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0337 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 672.15 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2027 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 3.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 3.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Costa Rica?
- Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Costa Rica was 12,168 metric tons in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 30,352 metric tons in 2013.
- What is the lowest seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 metric tons in 1960.
- How does Costa Rica rank for seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture?
- Costa Rica ranks 81st out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 54.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.