Fish discards in Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands: Fish discards was 2,729 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Fish discards in Faroe Islands, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, fish discards in Faroe Islands stood at 2,729.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 61.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish discards in Faroe Islands peaked at 322,313 in 1962 and was at its lowest, 2,727, in 2017.
That places Faroe Islands 92nd out of 161 countries with data for 2018, putting it 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 Faroe Islands, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5,286 | — |
| 1951 | 4,978 | -5.8% |
| 1952 | 57,339 | +1052.0% |
| 1953 | 71,313 | +24.4% |
| 1954 | 105,395 | +47.8% |
| 1955 | 126,740 | +20.3% |
| 1956 | 112,764 | -11.0% |
| 1957 | 126,272 | +12.0% |
| 1958 | 165,449 | +31.0% |
| 1959 | 159,230 | -3.8% |
| 1960 | 209,317 | +31.5% |
| 1961 | 219,189 | +4.7% |
| 1962 | 322,313 | +47.0% |
| 1963 | 289,113 | -10.3% |
| 1964 | 262,365 | -9.3% |
| 1965 | 226,946 | -13.5% |
| 1966 | 212,251 | -6.5% |
| 1967 | 198,856 | -6.3% |
| 1968 | 148,977 | -25.1% |
| 1969 | 89,563 | -39.9% |
| 1970 | 56,819 | -36.6% |
| 1971 | 68,269 | +20.2% |
| 1972 | 56,831 | -16.8% |
| 1973 | 42,804 | -24.7% |
| 1974 | 29,245 | -31.7% |
| 1975 | 25,746 | -12.0% |
| 1976 | 24,182 | -6.1% |
| 1977 | 22,178 | -8.3% |
| 1978 | 10,321 | -53.5% |
| 1979 | 11,854 | +14.8% |
| 1980 | 11,495 | -3.0% |
| 1981 | 48,506 | +322.0% |
| 1982 | 19,414 | -60.0% |
| 1983 | 22,767 | +17.3% |
| 1984 | 12,265 | -46.1% |
| 1985 | 11,943 | -2.6% |
| 1986 | 11,431 | -4.3% |
| 1987 | 12,333 | +7.9% |
| 1988 | 14,289 | +15.9% |
| 1989 | 10,864 | -24.0% |
| 1990 | 9,373 | -13.7% |
| 1991 | 13,713 | +46.3% |
| 1992 | 8,997 | -34.4% |
| 1993 | 11,620 | +29.2% |
| 1994 | 9,672 | -16.8% |
| 1995 | 10,143 | +4.9% |
| 1996 | 11,364 | +12.0% |
| 1997 | 11,635 | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 11,278 | -3.1% |
| 1999 | 9,743 | -13.6% |
| 2000 | 10,745 | +10.3% |
| 2001 | 11,880 | +10.6% |
| 2002 | 11,808 | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 11,786 | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 10,017 | -15.0% |
| 2005 | 8,204 | -18.1% |
| 2006 | 7,976 | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 5,664 | -29.0% |
| 2008 | 7,095 | +25.3% |
| 2009 | 3,558 | -49.8% |
| 2010 | 6,101 | +71.5% |
| 2011 | 5,442 | -10.8% |
| 2012 | 4,612 | -15.3% |
| 2013 | 5,999 | +30.1% |
| 2014 | 5,203 | -13.3% |
| 2015 | 5,063 | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 4,825 | -4.7% |
| 2017 | 2,727 | -43.5% |
| 2018 | 2,729 | +0.1% |
Faroe Islands compared with similar countries
- Faroe Islands's 2,729 is below the median for high income countries, which is 8,028, 34% of the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Faroe Islands's 2,729 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15,212, 18% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fish discards in Faroe Islands 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | +1052.0% | 4,978 | 57,339 |
| 1981 | +322.0% | 11,495 | 48,506 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 93,477 | 4,978 | 165,449 | 10 |
| 1960s | 217,889 | 89,563 | 322,313 | 10 |
| 1970s | 34,825 | 10,321 | 68,269 | 10 |
| 1980s | 17,531 | 10,864 | 48,506 | 10 |
| 1990s | 10,754 | 8,997 | 13,713 | 10 |
| 2000s | 8,873 | 3,558 | 11,880 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,745 | 2,727 | 6,101 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Faroe Islands
More agriculture & rural data for Faroe Islands
- Rural population 60.4% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -6.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 651.17 million current US$ (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 16.1% (2024)
- Rural population 33,136 (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.1% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1607 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0936 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 11,918 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish discards in Faroe Islands?
- Fish discards in Faroe Islands was 2,729 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish discards recorded in Faroe Islands?
- The highest recorded value was 322,313 in 1962.
- What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Faroe Islands?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,727 in 2017.
- How does Faroe Islands rank for fish discards?
- Faroe Islands ranks 92nd out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish discards rising or falling in Faroe Islands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Faroe Islands 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.