Fish discards in India
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
69
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.
Fish discards in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5,523 | — |
| 1951 | 5,086 | -7.9% |
| 1952 | 5,026 | -1.2% |
| 1953 | 5,530 | +10.0% |
| 1954 | 5,593 | +1.1% |
| 1955 | 5,662 | +1.2% |
| 1956 | 6,868 | +21.3% |
| 1957 | 8,331 | +21.3% |
| 1958 | 7,197 | -13.6% |
| 1959 | 5,569 | -22.6% |
| 1960 | 8,379 | +50.5% |
| 1961 | 6,507 | -22.3% |
| 1962 | 6,141 | -5.6% |
| 1963 | 6,248 | +1.7% |
| 1964 | 8,190 | +31.1% |
| 1965 | 7,950 | -2.9% |
| 1966 | 8,519 | +7.2% |
| 1967 | 8,248 | -3.2% |
| 1968 | 8,660 | +5.0% |
| 1969 | 7,894 | -8.8% |
| 1970 | 9,813 | +24.3% |
| 1971 | 11,383 | +16.0% |
| 1972 | 8,744 | -23.2% |
| 1973 | 11,582 | +32.5% |
| 1974 | 12,511 | +8.0% |
| 1975 | 15,179 | +21.3% |
| 1976 | 14,098 | -7.1% |
| 1977 | 13,405 | -4.9% |
| 1978 | 14,884 | +11.0% |
| 1979 | 15,370 | +3.3% |
| 1980 | 14,335 | -6.7% |
| 1981 | 16,810 | +17.3% |
| 1982 | 19,060 | +13.4% |
| 1983 | 22,692 | +19.1% |
| 1984 | 23,365 | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 26,736 | +14.4% |
| 1986 | 36,978 | +38.3% |
| 1987 | 41,630 | +12.6% |
| 1988 | 50,131 | +20.4% |
| 1989 | 58,871 | +17.4% |
| 1990 | 73,527 | +24.9% |
| 1991 | 98,491 | +34.0% |
| 1992 | 113,268 | +15.0% |
| 1993 | 133,168 | +17.6% |
| 1994 | 153,238 | +15.1% |
| 1995 | 146,373 | -4.5% |
| 1996 | 170,098 | +16.2% |
| 1997 | 216,194 | +27.1% |
| 1998 | 221,447 | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 201,324 | -9.1% |
| 2000 | 215,929 | +7.3% |
| 2001 | 173,476 | -19.7% |
| 2002 | 186,298 | +7.4% |
| 2003 | 167,476 | -10.1% |
| 2004 | 173,928 | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 148,992 | -14.3% |
| 2006 | 150,613 | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 149,925 | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 155,531 | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 208,193 | +33.9% |
| 2010 | 226,299 | +8.7% |
| 2011 | 207,983 | -8.1% |
| 2012 | 227,772 | +9.5% |
| 2013 | 211,606 | -7.1% |
| 2014 | 214,118 | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 196,842 | -8.1% |
| 2016 | 216,601 | +10.0% |
| 2017 | 228,427 | +5.5% |
| 2018 | 193,273 | -15.4% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 193,273 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5,286, 36.6× the median. (33 countries reporting)
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
More agriculture & rural data for India
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -2.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1623 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 438.73 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4067 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6431 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
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
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.