Fish catch by fishing sector in Iceland
Iceland: Fish catch by fishing sector was 1.00 million in 2018. ▲ Rising
Latest (2018)
1.00 million
Change on year
down 14.2%
World rank
18th
of 170 countries
All-time high
2.21 million
in 1997
All-time low
404,976
in 1950
Years of data
69
1950–2018
Fish catch by fishing sector in Iceland, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fish catch by fishing sector in Iceland is 1.00 million, measured in 2018.
The figure is down 14.2% on the previous year and down 22.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish catch by fishing sector in Iceland peaked at 2.21 million in 1997 and was at its lowest, 404,976, in 1950.
That places Iceland 18th out of 170 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 69 years of available data.
Fish catch by fishing sector in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 404,976 | — |
| 1951 | 462,594 | +14.2% |
| 1952 | 614,561 | +32.9% |
| 1953 | 564,066 | -8.2% |
| 1954 | 554,788 | -1.6% |
| 1955 | 627,629 | +13.1% |
| 1956 | 617,729 | -1.6% |
| 1957 | 612,803 | -0.8% |
| 1958 | 923,006 | +50.6% |
| 1959 | 949,257 | +2.8% |
| 1960 | 742,014 | -21.8% |
| 1961 | 805,092 | +8.5% |
| 1962 | 870,384 | +8.1% |
| 1963 | 830,170 | -4.6% |
| 1964 | 1.01 million | +22.1% |
| 1965 | 1.24 million | +22.6% |
| 1966 | 1.28 million | +2.6% |
| 1967 | 914,526 | -28.3% |
| 1968 | 606,601 | -33.7% |
| 1969 | 697,853 | +15.0% |
| 1970 | 739,074 | +5.9% |
| 1971 | 688,489 | -6.8% |
| 1972 | 729,566 | +6.0% |
| 1973 | 913,401 | +25.2% |
| 1974 | 957,178 | +4.8% |
| 1975 | 1.00 million | +4.8% |
| 1976 | 1.00 million | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 1.39 million | +39.0% |
| 1978 | 1.58 million | +13.5% |
| 1979 | 1.67 million | +5.7% |
| 1980 | 1.54 million | -7.9% |
| 1981 | 1.47 million | -4.7% |
| 1982 | 810,436 | -44.7% |
| 1983 | 860,259 | +6.1% |
| 1984 | 1.55 million | +80.3% |
| 1985 | 1.70 million | +9.3% |
| 1986 | 1.67 million | -1.5% |
| 1987 | 1.64 million | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 1.78 million | +8.7% |
| 1989 | 1.52 million | -14.8% |
| 1990 | 1.51 million | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 1.07 million | -29.1% |
| 1992 | 1.58 million | +47.6% |
| 1993 | 1.73 million | +9.3% |
| 1994 | 1.55 million | -10.3% |
| 1995 | 1.61 million | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 2.07 million | +28.1% |
| 1997 | 2.21 million | +7.2% |
| 1998 | 1.67 million | -24.4% |
| 1999 | 1.73 million | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 1.98 million | +14.9% |
| 2001 | 1.97 million | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 2.14 million | +8.4% |
| 2003 | 1.98 million | -7.1% |
| 2004 | 1.73 million | -13.0% |
| 2005 | 1.67 million | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 1.32 million | -20.9% |
| 2007 | 1.40 million | +6.0% |
| 2008 | 1.30 million | -7.5% |
| 2009 | 1.15 million | -11.6% |
| 2010 | 1.07 million | -6.8% |
| 2011 | 1.16 million | +8.4% |
| 2012 | 1.46 million | +26.1% |
| 2013 | 1.37 million | -6.0% |
| 2014 | 1.08 million | -21.0% |
| 2015 | 1.32 million | +22.0% |
| 2016 | 1.07 million | -19.3% |
| 2017 | 1.17 million | +9.7% |
| 2018 | 1.00 million | -14.2% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 1.00 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 65,050, 15.4× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 1.00 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 235,176, 4.3× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 633,141 | 404,976 | 949,257 | 10 |
| 1960s | 899,890 | 606,601 | 1.28 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.07 million | 688,489 | 1.67 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.45 million | 810,436 | 1.78 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.67 million | 1.07 million | 2.21 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.66 million | 1.15 million | 2.14 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.19 million | 1.00 million | 1.46 million | 9 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More agriculture & rural data for Iceland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 19.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0365 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 3,593 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8983 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0578 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 3.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 3.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish catch by fishing sector in Iceland?
- Fish catch by fishing sector in Iceland was 1.00 million in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish catch by fishing sector recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.21 million in 1997.
- What is the lowest fish catch by fishing sector recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 404,976 in 1950.
- How does Iceland rank for fish catch by fishing sector?
- Iceland ranks 18th out of 170 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish catch by fishing sector rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fish catch by fishing sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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