Capture fishery production in South Africa
South Africa: Capture fishery production was 521,938 metric tons in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
521,938 metric tons
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
36th
of 215 countries
All-time high
2.21 million metric tons
in 1968
All-time low
452,560 metric tons
in 1996
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Capture fishery production in South Africa, 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
South Africa recorded 521,938 metric tons 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 metric tons in 1968 and was at its lowest, 452,560 metric tons, 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 | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 882,523 metric tons | — |
| 1961 | 1.04 million metric tons | +17.8% |
| 1962 | 1.09 million metric tons | +5.0% |
| 1963 | 1.20 million metric tons | +9.8% |
| 1964 | 1.35 million metric tons | +12.9% |
| 1965 | 1.42 million metric tons | +4.9% |
| 1966 | 1.42 million metric tons | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 1.77 million metric tons | +24.5% |
| 1968 | 2.21 million metric tons | +24.7% |
| 1969 | 1.97 million metric tons | -10.9% |
| 1970 | 1.37 million metric tons | -30.6% |
| 1971 | 1.29 million metric tons | -5.5% |
| 1972 | 1.27 million metric tons | -1.7% |
| 1973 | 1.51 million metric tons | +18.8% |
| 1974 | 1.55 million metric tons | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 1.49 million metric tons | -3.6% |
| 1976 | 1.27 million metric tons | -14.6% |
| 1977 | 1.10 million metric tons | -13.7% |
| 1978 | 1.11 million metric tons | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 1.09 million metric tons | -2.4% |
| 1980 | 932,558 metric tons | -14.2% |
| 1981 | 948,000 metric tons | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 929,541 metric tons | -1.9% |
| 1983 | 995,565 metric tons | +7.1% |
| 1984 | 785,094 metric tons | -21.1% |
| 1985 | 849,111 metric tons | +8.2% |
| 1986 | 853,342 metric tons | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 1.47 million metric tons | +71.8% |
| 1988 | 1.34 million metric tons | -8.9% |
| 1989 | 905,668 metric tons | -32.2% |
| 1990 | 550,084 metric tons | -39.3% |
| 1991 | 512,115 metric tons | -6.9% |
| 1992 | 712,360 metric tons | +39.1% |
| 1993 | 588,913 metric tons | -17.3% |
| 1994 | 553,483 metric tons | -6.0% |
| 1995 | 597,349 metric tons | +7.9% |
| 1996 | 452,560 metric tons | -24.2% |
| 1997 | 539,537 metric tons | +19.2% |
| 1998 | 583,287 metric tons | +8.1% |
| 1999 | 633,148 metric tons | +8.5% |
| 2000 | 694,000 metric tons | +9.6% |
| 2001 | 815,928 metric tons | +17.6% |
| 2002 | 839,529 metric tons | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 872,015 metric tons | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 947,569 metric tons | +8.7% |
| 2005 | 850,712 metric tons | -10.2% |
| 2006 | 653,123 metric tons | -23.2% |
| 2007 | 725,694 metric tons | +11.1% |
| 2008 | 696,112 metric tons | -4.1% |
| 2009 | 548,340 metric tons | -21.2% |
| 2010 | 687,923 metric tons | +25.5% |
| 2011 | 575,659 metric tons | -16.3% |
| 2012 | 790,226 metric tons | +37.3% |
| 2013 | 505,247 metric tons | -36.1% |
| 2014 | 729,052 metric tons | +44.3% |
| 2015 | 631,822 metric tons | -13.3% |
| 2016 | 659,750 metric tons | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 590,560 metric tons | -10.5% |
| 2018 | 624,886 metric tons | +5.8% |
| 2019 | 519,876 metric tons | -16.8% |
| 2020 | 654,086 metric tons | +25.8% |
| 2021 | 616,385 metric tons | -5.8% |
| 2022 | 584,793 metric tons | -5.1% |
| 2023 | 523,519 metric tons | -10.5% |
| 2024 | 521,938 metric tons | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.44 million metric tons | 882,523 metric tons | 2.21 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.30 million metric tons | 1.09 million metric tons | 1.55 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.00 million metric tons | 785,094 metric tons | 1.47 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 572,284 metric tons | 452,560 metric tons | 712,360 metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 764,302 metric tons | 548,340 metric tons | 947,569 metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 631,500 metric tons | 505,247 metric tons | 790,226 metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 580,144 metric tons | 521,938 metric tons | 654,086 metric tons | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- 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)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is capture fishery production in South Africa?
- Capture fishery production in South Africa was 521,938 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 capture fishery production recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.21 million metric tons in 1968.
- What is the lowest capture fishery production recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 452,560 metric tons 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 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by 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).
About this data
Capture (wild) fishery production does not include seafood produced from fish farming (aquaculture).