Fish discards in Belgium
Belgium: Fish discards was 12,601 in 2018. ▼ Falling
Fish discards in Belgium, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, fish discards in Belgium stood at 12,601.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.4% on the previous year and up 36.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish discards in Belgium peaked at 35,902 in 1956 and was at its lowest, 7,320, in 2007.
Belgium ranks 63rd of 161 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 69 years of available data.
Fish discards in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 26,012 | — |
| 1951 | 29,505 | +13.4% |
| 1952 | 33,038 | +12.0% |
| 1953 | 31,937 | -3.3% |
| 1954 | 30,316 | -5.1% |
| 1955 | 33,541 | +10.6% |
| 1956 | 35,902 | +7.0% |
| 1957 | 25,292 | -29.6% |
| 1958 | 26,674 | +5.5% |
| 1959 | 25,739 | -3.5% |
| 1960 | 24,304 | -5.6% |
| 1961 | 26,287 | +8.2% |
| 1962 | 25,163 | -4.3% |
| 1963 | 31,556 | +25.4% |
| 1964 | 20,760 | -34.2% |
| 1965 | 22,210 | +7.0% |
| 1966 | 28,424 | +28.0% |
| 1967 | 30,517 | +7.4% |
| 1968 | 30,063 | -1.5% |
| 1969 | 26,106 | -13.2% |
| 1970 | 22,990 | -11.9% |
| 1971 | 24,177 | +5.2% |
| 1972 | 23,594 | -2.4% |
| 1973 | 23,504 | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 20,388 | -13.3% |
| 1975 | 22,241 | +9.1% |
| 1976 | 21,166 | -4.8% |
| 1977 | 20,255 | -4.3% |
| 1978 | 21,166 | +4.5% |
| 1979 | 21,582 | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 19,506 | -9.6% |
| 1981 | 18,329 | -6.0% |
| 1982 | 21,869 | +19.3% |
| 1983 | 19,082 | -12.7% |
| 1984 | 19,355 | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 20,408 | +5.4% |
| 1986 | 15,510 | -24.0% |
| 1987 | 16,801 | +8.3% |
| 1988 | 17,098 | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 18,279 | +6.9% |
| 1990 | 19,779 | +8.2% |
| 1991 | 20,926 | +5.8% |
| 1992 | 18,271 | -12.7% |
| 1993 | 19,062 | +4.3% |
| 1994 | 18,084 | -5.1% |
| 1995 | 19,129 | +5.8% |
| 1996 | 14,130 | -26.1% |
| 1997 | 12,176 | -13.8% |
| 1998 | 11,598 | -4.7% |
| 1999 | 13,929 | +20.1% |
| 2000 | 11,845 | -15.0% |
| 2001 | 12,993 | +9.7% |
| 2002 | 9,796 | -24.6% |
| 2003 | 11,536 | +17.8% |
| 2004 | 9,519 | -17.5% |
| 2005 | 9,698 | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 8,110 | -16.4% |
| 2007 | 7,320 | -9.7% |
| 2008 | 9,260 | +26.5% |
| 2009 | 11,476 | +23.9% |
| 2010 | 12,217 | +6.5% |
| 2011 | 8,379 | -31.4% |
| 2012 | 15,547 | +85.5% |
| 2013 | 10,901 | -29.9% |
| 2014 | 11,597 | +6.4% |
| 2015 | 13,343 | +15.1% |
| 2016 | 16,614 | +24.5% |
| 2017 | 14,391 | -13.4% |
| 2018 | 12,601 | -12.4% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 12,601 is above the median for high income countries, which is 8,028, 1.6× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 12,601 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15,212, 83% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fish discards in Belgium 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +85.5% | 8,379 | 15,547 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 29,796 | 25,292 | 35,902 | 10 |
| 1960s | 26,539 | 20,760 | 31,556 | 10 |
| 1970s | 22,106 | 20,255 | 24,177 | 10 |
| 1980s | 18,624 | 15,510 | 21,869 | 10 |
| 1990s | 16,708 | 11,598 | 20,926 | 10 |
| 2000s | 10,155 | 7,320 | 12,993 | 10 |
| 2010s | 12,843 | 8,379 | 16,614 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More agriculture & rural data for Belgium
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -0.3325 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0073 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 443.58 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2138 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1233 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish discards in Belgium?
- Fish discards in Belgium was 12,601 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish discards recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 35,902 in 1956.
- What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,320 in 2007.
- How does Belgium rank for fish discards?
- Belgium ranks 63rd out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish discards rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fish discards. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 69 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Discards are animals thrown back (alive or dead) into the sea after being caught during fishing activities. This represents bycatch (fish caught unintentionally) that is not brought ashore for use.