Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Japan
Japan: Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture was 802,045 metric tons in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
802,045 metric tons
Change on year
down 9.1%
World rank
15th
of 215 countries
All-time high
1.43 million metric tons
in 1988
All-time low
308,044 metric tons
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Japan, 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
Japan recorded 802,045 metric tons for seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in 2024.
That represents a change of down 9.1% on the previous year and down 21.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Japan peaked at 1.43 million metric tons in 1988 and was at its lowest, 308,044 metric tons, in 1960.
Japan ranks 15th of 215 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Japan, year by year
| Year | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 308,044 metric tons | — |
| 1961 | 347,634 metric tons | +12.9% |
| 1962 | 389,701 metric tons | +12.1% |
| 1963 | 419,315 metric tons | +7.6% |
| 1964 | 399,167 metric tons | -4.8% |
| 1965 | 412,523 metric tons | +3.3% |
| 1966 | 442,172 metric tons | +7.2% |
| 1967 | 513,304 metric tons | +16.1% |
| 1968 | 574,487 metric tons | +11.9% |
| 1969 | 526,565 metric tons | -8.3% |
| 1970 | 597,395 metric tons | +13.5% |
| 1971 | 658,832 metric tons | +10.3% |
| 1972 | 703,271 metric tons | +6.7% |
| 1973 | 854,553 metric tons | +21.5% |
| 1974 | 946,292 metric tons | +10.7% |
| 1975 | 844,119 metric tons | -10.8% |
| 1976 | 926,711 metric tons | +9.8% |
| 1977 | 943,746 metric tons | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 1.01 million metric tons | +6.8% |
| 1979 | 977,359 metric tons | -3.0% |
| 1980 | 1.09 million metric tons | +11.1% |
| 1981 | 1.05 million metric tons | -3.1% |
| 1982 | 1.04 million metric tons | -1.6% |
| 1983 | 1.15 million metric tons | +11.5% |
| 1984 | 1.21 million metric tons | +4.7% |
| 1985 | 1.18 million metric tons | -2.0% |
| 1986 | 1.29 million metric tons | +9.1% |
| 1987 | 1.23 million metric tons | -4.5% |
| 1988 | 1.43 million metric tons | +15.5% |
| 1989 | 1.37 million metric tons | -3.9% |
| 1990 | 1.37 million metric tons | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 1.36 million metric tons | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 1.40 million metric tons | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 1.36 million metric tons | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 1.42 million metric tons | +4.5% |
| 1995 | 1.39 million metric tons | -2.2% |
| 1996 | 1.35 million metric tons | -2.9% |
| 1997 | 1.34 million metric tons | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 1.29 million metric tons | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 1.32 million metric tons | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 1.29 million metric tons | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 1.31 million metric tons | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 1.39 million metric tons | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 1.30 million metric tons | -6.0% |
| 2004 | 1.26 million metric tons | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 1.25 million metric tons | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 1.22 million metric tons | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 1.28 million metric tons | +4.9% |
| 2008 | 1.19 million metric tons | -7.6% |
| 2009 | 1.24 million metric tons | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 1.15 million metric tons | -7.4% |
| 2011 | 907,972 metric tons | -21.1% |
| 2012 | 1.07 million metric tons | +18.3% |
| 2013 | 1.03 million metric tons | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 1.02 million metric tons | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 1.11 million metric tons | +8.2% |
| 2016 | 1.07 million metric tons | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 1.02 million metric tons | -4.2% |
| 2018 | 1.03 million metric tons | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 946,643 metric tons | -8.5% |
| 2020 | 998,939 metric tons | +5.5% |
| 2021 | 959,646 metric tons | -3.9% |
| 2022 | 943,495 metric tons | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 882,001 metric tons | -6.5% |
| 2024 | 802,045 metric tons | -9.1% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 802,045 metric tons is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,445 metric tons, 328.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Japan's 802,045 metric tons is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,310 metric tons, 612.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 433,291 metric tons | 308,044 metric tons | 574,487 metric tons | 10 |
| 1970s | 845,996 metric tons | 597,395 metric tons | 1.01 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.20 million metric tons | 1.04 million metric tons | 1.43 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.36 million metric tons | 1.29 million metric tons | 1.42 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.27 million metric tons | 1.19 million metric tons | 1.39 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.04 million metric tons | 907,972 metric tons | 1.15 million metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 917,225 metric tons | 802,045 metric tons | 998,939 metric tons | 5 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More agriculture & rural data for Japan
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.5564 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.0345 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.6075 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.0369 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0096 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 323.87 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.89 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Japan?
- Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Japan was 802,045 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 1.43 million metric tons in 1988.
- What is the lowest seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 308,044 metric tons in 1960.
- How does Japan rank for seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture?
- Japan ranks 15th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan 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.