Capture fishery production in South Africa
South Africa: Capture fishery production was 521,938 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
521,938
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
36th
of 215 countries
All-time high
2.21 million
in 1968
All-time low
452,560
in 1996
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Capture fishery production in South Africa, 1960–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 521,938 for capture fishery production in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 28.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, capture fishery production in South Africa peaked at 2.21 million in 1968 and was at its lowest, 452,560, in 1996.
South Africa ranks 36th of 215 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Capture fishery production in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 882,523 | — |
| 1961 | 1.04 million | +17.8% |
| 1962 | 1.09 million | +5.0% |
| 1963 | 1.20 million | +9.8% |
| 1964 | 1.35 million | +12.9% |
| 1965 | 1.42 million | +4.9% |
| 1966 | 1.42 million | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 1.77 million | +24.5% |
| 1968 | 2.21 million | +24.7% |
| 1969 | 1.97 million | -10.9% |
| 1970 | 1.37 million | -30.6% |
| 1971 | 1.29 million | -5.5% |
| 1972 | 1.27 million | -1.7% |
| 1973 | 1.51 million | +18.8% |
| 1974 | 1.55 million | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 1.49 million | -3.6% |
| 1976 | 1.27 million | -14.6% |
| 1977 | 1.10 million | -13.7% |
| 1978 | 1.11 million | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 1.09 million | -2.4% |
| 1980 | 932,558 | -14.2% |
| 1981 | 948,000 | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 929,541 | -1.9% |
| 1983 | 995,565 | +7.1% |
| 1984 | 785,094 | -21.1% |
| 1985 | 849,111 | +8.2% |
| 1986 | 853,342 | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 1.47 million | +71.8% |
| 1988 | 1.34 million | -8.9% |
| 1989 | 905,668 | -32.2% |
| 1990 | 550,084 | -39.3% |
| 1991 | 512,115 | -6.9% |
| 1992 | 712,360 | +39.1% |
| 1993 | 588,913 | -17.3% |
| 1994 | 553,483 | -6.0% |
| 1995 | 597,349 | +7.9% |
| 1996 | 452,560 | -24.2% |
| 1997 | 539,537 | +19.2% |
| 1998 | 583,287 | +8.1% |
| 1999 | 633,148 | +8.5% |
| 2000 | 694,000 | +9.6% |
| 2001 | 815,928 | +17.6% |
| 2002 | 839,529 | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 872,015 | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 947,569 | +8.7% |
| 2005 | 850,712 | -10.2% |
| 2006 | 653,123 | -23.2% |
| 2007 | 725,694 | +11.1% |
| 2008 | 696,112 | -4.1% |
| 2009 | 548,340 | -21.2% |
| 2010 | 687,923 | +25.5% |
| 2011 | 575,659 | -16.3% |
| 2012 | 790,226 | +37.3% |
| 2013 | 505,247 | -36.1% |
| 2014 | 729,052 | +44.3% |
| 2015 | 631,822 | -13.3% |
| 2016 | 659,750 | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 590,560 | -10.5% |
| 2018 | 624,886 | +5.8% |
| 2019 | 519,876 | -16.8% |
| 2020 | 654,086 | +25.8% |
| 2021 | 616,385 | -5.8% |
| 2022 | 584,793 | -5.1% |
| 2023 | 523,519 | -10.5% |
| 2024 | 521,938 | -0.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 521,938 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 34,939, 14.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 521,938 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 91,683, 5.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.44 million | 882,523 | 2.21 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.30 million | 1.09 million | 1.55 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.00 million | 785,094 | 1.47 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 572,284 | 452,560 | 712,360 | 10 |
| 2000s | 764,302 | 548,340 | 947,569 | 10 |
| 2010s | 631,500 | 505,247 | 790,226 | 10 |
| 2020s | 580,144 | 521,938 | 654,086 | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % 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 0.1917 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 1.49 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is capture fishery production in South Africa?
- Capture fishery production in South Africa was 521,938 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest capture fishery production recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.21 million in 1968.
- What is the lowest capture fishery production recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 452,560 in 1996.
- How does South Africa rank for capture fishery production?
- South Africa ranks 36th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is capture fishery production rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Capture fishery production. 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).