Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Ecuador
Ecuador: Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture was 1.24 million metric tons in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Ecuador, 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
Ecuador recorded 1.24 million metric tons for seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in 2024.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 235.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Ecuador peaked at 1.24 million metric tons in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0 metric tons, in 1960.
That places Ecuador 11th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Ecuador, 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 | 10 metric tons | — |
| 1970 | 50 metric tons | +400.0% |
| 1971 | 50 metric tons | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 200 metric tons | +300.0% |
| 1973 | 513 metric tons | +156.5% |
| 1974 | 1,030 metric tons | +100.8% |
| 1975 | 1,591 metric tons | +54.5% |
| 1976 | 2,155 metric tons | +35.4% |
| 1977 | 3,552 metric tons | +64.8% |
| 1978 | 4,113 metric tons | +15.8% |
| 1979 | 5,009 metric tons | +21.8% |
| 1980 | 9,565 metric tons | +91.0% |
| 1981 | 12,554 metric tons | +31.2% |
| 1982 | 22,016 metric tons | +75.4% |
| 1983 | 36,273 metric tons | +64.8% |
| 1984 | 34,225 metric tons | -5.6% |
| 1985 | 30,876 metric tons | -9.8% |
| 1986 | 44,339 metric tons | +43.6% |
| 1987 | 70,099 metric tons | +58.1% |
| 1988 | 75,631 metric tons | +7.9% |
| 1989 | 71,211 metric tons | -5.8% |
| 1990 | 77,730 metric tons | +9.2% |
| 1991 | 107,145 metric tons | +37.8% |
| 1992 | 116,694 metric tons | +8.9% |
| 1993 | 87,763 metric tons | -24.8% |
| 1994 | 89,096 metric tons | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 106,223 metric tons | +19.2% |
| 1996 | 108,880 metric tons | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 134,497 metric tons | +23.5% |
| 1998 | 145,790 metric tons | +8.4% |
| 1999 | 126,575 metric tons | -13.2% |
| 2000 | 61,311 metric tons | -51.6% |
| 2001 | 57,587 metric tons | -6.1% |
| 2002 | 77,636 metric tons | +34.8% |
| 2003 | 95,278 metric tons | +22.7% |
| 2004 | 108,673 metric tons | +14.1% |
| 2005 | 138,562 metric tons | +27.5% |
| 2006 | 169,588 metric tons | +22.4% |
| 2007 | 171,020 metric tons | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 173,222 metric tons | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 219,463 metric tons | +26.7% |
| 2010 | 272,721 metric tons | +24.3% |
| 2011 | 309,702 metric tons | +13.6% |
| 2012 | 322,655 metric tons | +4.2% |
| 2013 | 332,382 metric tons | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 368,492 metric tons | +10.9% |
| 2015 | 426,750 metric tons | +15.8% |
| 2016 | 451,395 metric tons | +5.8% |
| 2017 | 485,005 metric tons | +7.4% |
| 2018 | 581,452 metric tons | +19.9% |
| 2019 | 695,852 metric tons | +19.7% |
| 2020 | 774,592 metric tons | +11.3% |
| 2021 | 904,164 metric tons | +16.7% |
| 2022 | 1.13 million metric tons | +24.4% |
| 2023 | 1.24 million metric tons | +10.0% |
| 2024 | 1.24 million metric tons | -0.1% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 1.24 million metric tons is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5,803 metric tons, 213.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 1.24 million metric tons is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 291.99 metric tons, 4233.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Ecuador changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | +400.0% | 10 metric tons | 50 metric tons |
| 1972 | +300.0% | 50 metric tons | 200 metric tons |
| 1973 | +156.5% | 200 metric tons | 513 metric tons |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1 metric tons | 0 metric tons | 10 metric tons | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,826 metric tons | 50 metric tons | 5,009 metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 40,679 metric tons | 9,565 metric tons | 75,631 metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 110,039 metric tons | 77,730 metric tons | 145,790 metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 127,234 metric tons | 57,587 metric tons | 219,463 metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 424,641 metric tons | 272,721 metric tons | 695,852 metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.06 million metric tons | 774,592 metric tons | 1.24 million metric tons | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
More agriculture & rural data for Ecuador
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.097 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 691.36 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4287 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3661 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 9.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 9.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 3.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Ecuador?
- Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Ecuador was 1.24 million 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 Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 1.24 million metric tons in 2023.
- What is the lowest seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 metric tons in 1960.
- How does Ecuador rank for seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture?
- Ecuador ranks 11th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 235.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ecuador 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.