What is fish discards in Italy?

Fish discards in Italy was 31,443 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest fish discards recorded in Italy?

The highest recorded value was 165,224 in 1987.

What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Italy?

The lowest recorded value was 13,417 in 2014.

How does Italy rank for fish discards?

Italy ranks 33rd out of 161 countries with data for 2018.

Is fish discards rising or falling in Italy?

Over the last ten years it is down 43.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Italy 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 Italy

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

Italy: Fish discards was 31,443 in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)

31,443

Change on year

down 6.1%

World rank

33rd

of 161 countries

All-time high

165,224

in 1987

All-time low

13,417

in 2014

Years of data

1950–2018

Fish discards in Italy, 1950–2018

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

Analysis

Italy recorded 31,443 for fish discards in 2018.

That represents a change of down 6.1% on the previous year and down 43.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fish discards in Italy peaked at 165,224 in 1987 and was at its lowest, 13,417, in 2014.

Italy ranks 33rd of 161 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 69 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1950s	48,997	44,669	54,809	10
1960s	56,674	46,273	67,689	10
1970s	108,850	79,488	139,566	10
1980s	141,408	123,940	165,224	10
1990s	97,114	81,026	117,410	10
2000s	64,085	44,660	81,392	10
2010s	29,482	13,417	47,492	9

Countries ranked near Italy

30 South Africa 37,688 compare
31 Thailand 37,041 compare
32 Turkey 34,619 compare
34 Algeria 31,258 compare
35 United Kingdom 31,079 compare
36 Iran 29,394 compare

See the full ranking of 161 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Italy

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 52.70 billion current US$ (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 2.1% (2025)
Rural population 17.86 million (2025)
Rural population growth -0.3% (2025)
Rural population 30.3% (2025)
Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
Agricultural raw materials exports 0.6% (2024)
Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.1% (2025)
Share of GDP from agriculture 2.1% (2025)
Land under cereal production 3.05 million hectares (2023)

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is fish discards in Italy?: Fish discards in Italy was 31,443 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest fish discards recorded in Italy?: The highest recorded value was 165,224 in 1987.
What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Italy?: The lowest recorded value was 13,417 in 2014.
How does Italy rank for fish discards?: Italy ranks 33rd out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
Is fish discards rising or falling in Italy?: Over the last ten years it is down 43.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Italy 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.