Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Spain
Spain: Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture was 246,201 metric tons in 2024. ▲ Rising
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Spain, 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
In 2024, seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Spain stood at 246,201 metric tons.
The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and down 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Spain peaked at 353,903 metric tons in 2018 and was at its lowest, 6,300 metric tons, in 1960.
Spain ranks 25th of 215 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Spain, year by year
| Year | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 6,300 metric tons | — |
| 1961 | 8,000 metric tons | +27.0% |
| 1962 | 56,600 metric tons | +607.5% |
| 1963 | 64,200 metric tons | +13.4% |
| 1964 | 65,200 metric tons | +1.6% |
| 1965 | 66,900 metric tons | +2.6% |
| 1966 | 65,300 metric tons | -2.4% |
| 1967 | 52,000 metric tons | -20.4% |
| 1968 | 69,700 metric tons | +34.0% |
| 1969 | 95,800 metric tons | +37.4% |
| 1970 | 156,200 metric tons | +63.0% |
| 1971 | 146,700 metric tons | -6.1% |
| 1972 | 164,300 metric tons | +12.0% |
| 1973 | 166,900 metric tons | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 173,927 metric tons | +4.2% |
| 1975 | 168,312 metric tons | -3.2% |
| 1976 | 186,900 metric tons | +11.0% |
| 1977 | 193,768 metric tons | +3.7% |
| 1978 | 235,500 metric tons | +21.5% |
| 1979 | 206,760 metric tons | -12.2% |
| 1980 | 205,638 metric tons | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 215,150 metric tons | +4.6% |
| 1982 | 225,730 metric tons | +4.9% |
| 1983 | 229,310 metric tons | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 247,426 metric tons | +7.9% |
| 1985 | 266,608 metric tons | +7.8% |
| 1986 | 268,449 metric tons | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 270,734 metric tons | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 271,403 metric tons | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 222,924 metric tons | -17.9% |
| 1990 | 203,766 metric tons | -8.6% |
| 1991 | 224,971 metric tons | +10.4% |
| 1992 | 168,759 metric tons | -25.0% |
| 1993 | 126,130 metric tons | -25.3% |
| 1994 | 177,940 metric tons | +41.1% |
| 1995 | 223,965 metric tons | +25.9% |
| 1996 | 231,633 metric tons | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 239,169 metric tons | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 313,908 metric tons | +31.2% |
| 1999 | 318,469 metric tons | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 309,229 metric tons | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 309,091 metric tons | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 254,949 metric tons | -17.5% |
| 2003 | 268,279 metric tons | +5.2% |
| 2004 | 298,981 metric tons | +11.4% |
| 2005 | 222,029 metric tons | -25.7% |
| 2006 | 294,891 metric tons | +32.8% |
| 2007 | 284,985 metric tons | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 252,291 metric tons | -11.5% |
| 2009 | 268,567 metric tons | +6.5% |
| 2010 | 253,786 metric tons | -5.5% |
| 2011 | 274,254 metric tons | +8.1% |
| 2012 | 266,596 metric tons | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 226,308 metric tons | -15.1% |
| 2014 | 285,010 metric tons | +25.9% |
| 2015 | 293,572 metric tons | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 287,484 metric tons | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 315,143 metric tons | +9.6% |
| 2018 | 353,903 metric tons | +12.3% |
| 2019 | 308,042 metric tons | -13.0% |
| 2020 | 273,627 metric tons | -11.2% |
| 2021 | 276,907 metric tons | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 273,066 metric tons | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 243,110 metric tons | -11.0% |
| 2024 | 246,201 metric tons | +1.3% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 246,201 metric tons is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,445 metric tons, 100.7× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Spain's 246,201 metric tons is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10,060 metric tons, 24.5× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Spain 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | +607.5% | 8,000 metric tons | 56,600 metric tons |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 55,000 metric tons | 6,300 metric tons | 95,800 metric tons | 10 |
| 1970s | 179,927 metric tons | 146,700 metric tons | 235,500 metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 242,337 metric tons | 205,638 metric tons | 271,403 metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 222,871 metric tons | 126,130 metric tons | 318,469 metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 276,329 metric tons | 222,029 metric tons | 309,229 metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 286,410 metric tons | 226,308 metric tons | 353,903 metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 262,582 metric tons | 243,110 metric tons | 276,907 metric tons | 5 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More agriculture & rural data for Spain
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0268 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,036 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0113 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1949 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Spain?
- Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Spain was 246,201 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 353,903 metric tons in 2018.
- What is the lowest seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,300 metric tons in 1960.
- How does Spain rank for seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture?
- Spain ranks 25th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain 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.