Fish discards in Ecuador
Ecuador: Fish discards was 19,789 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
19,789
Change on year
up 76.0%
World rank
52nd
of 161 countries
All-time high
67,756
in 2014
All-time low
540.5
in 1950
Years of data
69
1950–2018
Fish discards in Ecuador, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, fish discards in Ecuador stood at 19,789.
That represents a change of up 76.0% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish discards in Ecuador peaked at 67,756 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 540.5, in 1950.
Ecuador ranks 52nd of 161 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Fish discards in Ecuador, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 540.5 | — |
| 1951 | 608.06 | +12.5% |
| 1952 | 608.06 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 675.62 | +11.1% |
| 1954 | 945.88 | +40.0% |
| 1955 | 1,149 | +21.4% |
| 1956 | 1,554 | +35.3% |
| 1957 | 1,419 | -8.7% |
| 1958 | 1,824 | +28.6% |
| 1959 | 1,994 | +9.3% |
| 1960 | 1,995 | +0.1% |
| 1961 | 3,223 | +61.5% |
| 1962 | 3,282 | +1.8% |
| 1963 | 3,484 | +6.1% |
| 1964 | 3,442 | -1.2% |
| 1965 | 4,157 | +20.8% |
| 1966 | 4,067 | -2.2% |
| 1967 | 4,353 | +7.0% |
| 1968 | 4,537 | +4.2% |
| 1969 | 6,424 | +41.6% |
| 1970 | 4,363 | -32.1% |
| 1971 | 4,299 | -1.5% |
| 1972 | 4,722 | +9.9% |
| 1973 | 5,180 | +9.7% |
| 1974 | 4,308 | -16.8% |
| 1975 | 5,449 | +26.5% |
| 1976 | 5,308 | -2.6% |
| 1977 | 4,448 | -16.2% |
| 1978 | 4,834 | +8.7% |
| 1979 | 6,490 | +34.3% |
| 1980 | 6,009 | -7.4% |
| 1981 | 6,257 | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 5,827 | -6.9% |
| 1983 | 7,149 | +22.7% |
| 1984 | 5,574 | -22.0% |
| 1985 | 6,307 | +13.1% |
| 1986 | 7,523 | +19.3% |
| 1987 | 8,490 | +12.9% |
| 1988 | 7,298 | -14.0% |
| 1989 | 7,836 | +7.4% |
| 1990 | 8,835 | +12.8% |
| 1991 | 11,221 | +27.0% |
| 1992 | 13,119 | +16.9% |
| 1993 | 12,758 | -2.8% |
| 1994 | 10,188 | -20.1% |
| 1995 | 13,658 | +34.1% |
| 1996 | 14,968 | +9.6% |
| 1997 | 25,043 | +67.3% |
| 1998 | 23,443 | -6.4% |
| 1999 | 29,533 | +26.0% |
| 2000 | 23,401 | -20.8% |
| 2001 | 18,377 | -21.5% |
| 2002 | 14,048 | -23.6% |
| 2003 | 21,481 | +52.9% |
| 2004 | 15,310 | -28.7% |
| 2005 | 16,971 | +10.8% |
| 2006 | 19,107 | +12.6% |
| 2007 | 15,576 | -18.5% |
| 2008 | 22,767 | +46.2% |
| 2009 | 20,370 | -10.5% |
| 2010 | 18,324 | -10.0% |
| 2011 | 33,379 | +82.2% |
| 2012 | 55,120 | +65.1% |
| 2013 | 55,170 | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 67,756 | +22.8% |
| 2015 | 24,657 | -63.6% |
| 2016 | 16,656 | -32.4% |
| 2017 | 11,244 | -32.5% |
| 2018 | 19,789 | +76.0% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 19,789 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5,034, 3.9× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 19,789 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5,850, 3.4× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1,132 | 540.5 | 1,994 | 10 |
| 1960s | 3,896 | 1,995 | 6,424 | 10 |
| 1970s | 4,940 | 4,299 | 6,490 | 10 |
| 1980s | 6,827 | 5,574 | 8,490 | 10 |
| 1990s | 16,277 | 8,835 | 29,533 | 10 |
| 2000s | 18,741 | 14,048 | 23,401 | 10 |
| 2010s | 33,566 | 11,244 | 67,756 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
More agriculture & rural data for Ecuador
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.097 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 691.36 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4287 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3661 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 9.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 9.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 3.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish discards in Ecuador?
- Fish discards in Ecuador was 19,789 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish discards recorded in Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 67,756 in 2014.
- What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 540.5 in 1950.
- How does Ecuador rank for fish discards?
- Ecuador ranks 52nd out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish discards rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ecuador 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.