Fish discards in Iceland
Iceland: Fish discards was 28,914 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Fish discards in Iceland, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 28,914 for fish discards in 2018.
The figure is up 29.1% on the previous year and down 22.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish discards in Iceland peaked at 339,397 in 1958 and was at its lowest, 22,399, in 2017.
Iceland ranks 37th of 161 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Fish discards in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 24,729 | — |
| 1951 | 28,677 | +16.0% |
| 1952 | 188,398 | +557.0% |
| 1953 | 113,505 | -39.8% |
| 1954 | 89,332 | -21.3% |
| 1955 | 123,372 | +38.1% |
| 1956 | 85,998 | -30.3% |
| 1957 | 105,250 | +22.4% |
| 1958 | 339,397 | +222.5% |
| 1959 | 310,725 | -8.4% |
| 1960 | 163,537 | -47.4% |
| 1961 | 110,797 | -32.2% |
| 1962 | 57,063 | -48.5% |
| 1963 | 67,734 | +18.7% |
| 1964 | 62,222 | -8.1% |
| 1965 | 65,280 | +4.9% |
| 1966 | 56,575 | -13.3% |
| 1967 | 38,223 | -32.4% |
| 1968 | 29,355 | -23.2% |
| 1969 | 33,372 | +13.7% |
| 1970 | 33,758 | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 32,333 | -4.2% |
| 1972 | 31,473 | -2.7% |
| 1973 | 33,575 | +6.7% |
| 1974 | 35,236 | +4.9% |
| 1975 | 36,889 | +4.7% |
| 1976 | 38,732 | +5.0% |
| 1977 | 44,562 | +15.1% |
| 1978 | 48,083 | +7.9% |
| 1979 | 54,545 | +13.4% |
| 1980 | 56,463 | +3.5% |
| 1981 | 59,400 | +5.2% |
| 1982 | 50,005 | -15.8% |
| 1983 | 48,205 | -3.6% |
| 1984 | 56,305 | +16.8% |
| 1985 | 58,060 | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 61,885 | +6.6% |
| 1987 | 61,359 | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 68,723 | +12.0% |
| 1989 | 64,068 | -6.8% |
| 1990 | 60,036 | -6.3% |
| 1991 | 56,837 | -5.3% |
| 1992 | 63,634 | +12.0% |
| 1993 | 64,072 | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 63,012 | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 65,541 | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 67,753 | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 70,181 | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 56,112 | -20.0% |
| 1999 | 52,690 | -6.1% |
| 2000 | 57,297 | +8.7% |
| 2001 | 50,094 | -12.6% |
| 2002 | 52,643 | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 51,503 | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 44,459 | -13.7% |
| 2005 | 44,554 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 37,196 | -16.5% |
| 2007 | 38,242 | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 37,095 | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 34,274 | -7.6% |
| 2010 | 32,385 | -5.5% |
| 2011 | 31,843 | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 34,027 | +6.9% |
| 2013 | 33,340 | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 27,302 | -18.1% |
| 2015 | 30,944 | +13.3% |
| 2016 | 27,289 | -11.8% |
| 2017 | 22,399 | -17.9% |
| 2018 | 28,914 | +29.1% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 28,914 is above the median for high income countries, which is 8,028, 3.6× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 28,914 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15,212, 1.9× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fish discards in Iceland 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 | +557.0% | 28,677 | 188,398 |
| 1958 | +222.5% | 105,250 | 339,397 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 140,938 | 24,729 | 339,397 | 10 |
| 1960s | 68,416 | 29,355 | 163,537 | 10 |
| 1970s | 38,919 | 31,473 | 54,545 | 10 |
| 1980s | 58,447 | 48,205 | 68,723 | 10 |
| 1990s | 61,987 | 52,690 | 70,181 | 10 |
| 2000s | 44,736 | 34,274 | 57,297 | 10 |
| 2010s | 29,827 | 22,399 | 34,027 | 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 discards in Iceland?
- Fish discards in Iceland was 28,914 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish discards recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 339,397 in 1958.
- What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 22,399 in 2017.
- How does Iceland rank for fish discards?
- Iceland ranks 37th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish discards rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 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.