Fish discards in France
France: Fish discards was 96,060 in 2018. ▲ Rising
Latest (2018)
96,060
Change on year
down 19.9%
World rank
15th
of 161 countries
All-time high
214,142
in 1987
All-time low
48,364
in 1950
Years of data
69
1950–2018
Fish discards in France, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fish discards in France is 96,060, measured in 2018.
That represents a change of down 19.9% on the previous year and down 24.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish discards in France peaked at 214,142 in 1987 and was at its lowest, 48,364, in 1950.
That places France 15th out of 161 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 69 years of available data.
Fish discards in France, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 48,364 | — |
| 1951 | 67,902 | +40.4% |
| 1952 | 54,330 | -20.0% |
| 1953 | 58,674 | +8.0% |
| 1954 | 60,018 | +2.3% |
| 1955 | 72,506 | +20.8% |
| 1956 | 81,421 | +12.3% |
| 1957 | 71,164 | -12.6% |
| 1958 | 78,934 | +10.9% |
| 1959 | 77,427 | -1.9% |
| 1960 | 110,855 | +43.2% |
| 1961 | 83,042 | -25.1% |
| 1962 | 83,793 | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 85,136 | +1.6% |
| 1964 | 94,307 | +10.8% |
| 1965 | 99,659 | +5.7% |
| 1966 | 89,693 | -10.0% |
| 1967 | 97,502 | +8.7% |
| 1968 | 107,944 | +10.7% |
| 1969 | 102,759 | -4.8% |
| 1970 | 117,156 | +14.0% |
| 1971 | 134,014 | +14.4% |
| 1972 | 137,988 | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 160,736 | +16.5% |
| 1974 | 156,371 | -2.7% |
| 1975 | 153,351 | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 149,426 | -2.6% |
| 1977 | 134,164 | -10.2% |
| 1978 | 142,282 | +6.1% |
| 1979 | 132,388 | -7.0% |
| 1980 | 157,673 | +19.1% |
| 1981 | 160,806 | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 155,661 | -3.2% |
| 1983 | 161,792 | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 163,224 | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 188,536 | +15.5% |
| 1986 | 202,792 | +7.6% |
| 1987 | 214,142 | +5.6% |
| 1988 | 193,887 | -9.5% |
| 1989 | 181,996 | -6.1% |
| 1990 | 191,728 | +5.3% |
| 1991 | 167,697 | -12.5% |
| 1992 | 170,973 | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 166,292 | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 162,209 | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 164,558 | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 161,202 | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 180,543 | +12.0% |
| 1998 | 159,811 | -11.5% |
| 1999 | 160,203 | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 184,625 | +15.2% |
| 2001 | 180,482 | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 187,927 | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 172,035 | -8.5% |
| 2004 | 159,730 | -7.2% |
| 2005 | 147,008 | -8.0% |
| 2006 | 148,808 | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 146,876 | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 126,474 | -13.9% |
| 2009 | 110,741 | -12.4% |
| 2010 | 106,879 | -3.5% |
| 2011 | 163,770 | +53.2% |
| 2012 | 102,774 | -37.2% |
| 2013 | 107,029 | +4.1% |
| 2014 | 109,138 | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 120,026 | +10.0% |
| 2016 | 120,150 | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 119,922 | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 96,060 | -19.9% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 96,060 is above the median for high income countries, which is 8,028, 12.0× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- France's 96,060 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15,212, 6.3× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 67,074 | 48,364 | 81,421 | 10 |
| 1960s | 95,469 | 83,042 | 110,855 | 10 |
| 1970s | 141,788 | 117,156 | 160,736 | 10 |
| 1980s | 178,051 | 155,661 | 214,142 | 10 |
| 1990s | 168,522 | 159,811 | 191,728 | 10 |
| 2000s | 156,471 | 110,741 | 187,927 | 10 |
| 2010s | 116,194 | 96,060 | 163,770 | 9 |
Countries ranked near France
More agriculture & rural data for France
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 14.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.014 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 687.36 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.033 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2115 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish discards in France?
- Fish discards in France was 96,060 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish discards recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 214,142 in 1987.
- What is the lowest fish discards recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 48,364 in 1950.
- How does France rank for fish discards?
- France ranks 15th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish discards rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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.