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.

Fish discards in Iceland

Name: Fish discards in Iceland
Creator: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Iceland: Fish discards was 28,914 in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)

28,914

Change on year

up 29.1%

World rank

37th

of 161 countries

All-time high

339,397

in 1958

All-time low

22,399

in 2017

Years of data

1950–2018

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.

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

34 Algeria 31,258 compare
35 United Kingdom 31,079 compare
36 Iran 29,394 compare
38 Greenland 27,320 compare
39 Belize 26,410 compare
40 Poland 26,333 compare

See the full ranking of 161 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Iceland

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.41 billion current US$ (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.7% (2025)
Rural population 22,689 (2025)
Rural population growth 0.9% (2025)
Rural population 5.8% (2025)
Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 3.7% (2025)
Share of GDP from agriculture 3.7% (2025)
Land under cereal production 3,160 hectares (2023)

All data for Iceland →

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

Indicator: Fish discards
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 161 places, 9,371 data points, 1950–2018
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

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.