What is fish discards in India?

Fish discards in India was 193,273 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest fish discards recorded in India?

The highest recorded value was 228,427 in 2017.

What is the lowest fish discards recorded in India?

The lowest recorded value was 5,026 in 1952.

How does India rank for fish discards?

India ranks 11th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.

Is fish discards rising or falling in India?

Over the last ten years it is up 24.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this India 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 India

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

India: Fish discards was 193,273 in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)

193,273

Change on year

down 15.4%

World rank

11th

of 161 countries

All-time high

228,427

in 2017

All-time low

5,026

in 1952

Years of data

1950–2018

Fish discards in India, 1950–2018

Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2018, fish discards in India stood at 193,273.

That represents a change of down 15.4% on the previous year and up 24.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fish discards in India peaked at 228,427 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 5,026, in 1952.

India ranks 11th of 161 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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	6,039	5,026	8,331	10
1960s	7,674	6,141	8,660	10
1970s	12,697	8,744	15,370	10
1980s	31,061	14,335	58,871	10
1990s	152,713	73,527	221,447	10
2000s	173,036	148,992	215,929	10
2010s	213,658	193,273	228,427	9

Countries ranked near India

8 Brazil 298,333 compare
9 Indonesia 296,902 compare
10 South Korea 229,517 compare
12 Spain 174,809 compare
13 Morocco 161,670 compare
14 Ghana 145,268 compare

See the full ranking of 161 places →

More agriculture & rural data for India

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 642.24 billion current US$ (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 16.2% (2025)
Rural population 941.42 million (2025)
Rural population growth 0.4% (2025)
Rural population 64.3% (2025)
Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.2% (2025)
Share of GDP from agriculture 16.2% (2025)
Land under cereal production 107.67 million hectares (2024)

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is fish discards in India?: Fish discards in India was 193,273 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest fish discards recorded in India?: The highest recorded value was 228,427 in 2017.
What is the lowest fish discards recorded in India?: The lowest recorded value was 5,026 in 1952.
How does India rank for fish discards?: India ranks 11th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
Is fish discards rising or falling in India?: Over the last ten years it is up 24.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this India 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.