Fish discards in Italy
Italy: Fish discards was 31,443 in 2018. ▼ Falling
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.
Fish discards in Italy, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 45,030 | — |
| 1951 | 44,669 | -0.8% |
| 1952 | 54,809 | +22.7% |
| 1953 | 50,270 | -8.3% |
| 1954 | 48,889 | -2.7% |
| 1955 | 48,305 | -1.2% |
| 1956 | 51,106 | +5.8% |
| 1957 | 46,858 | -8.3% |
| 1958 | 52,190 | +11.4% |
| 1959 | 47,848 | -8.3% |
| 1960 | 49,215 | +2.9% |
| 1961 | 61,235 | +24.4% |
| 1962 | 46,273 | -24.4% |
| 1963 | 48,035 | +3.8% |
| 1964 | 51,811 | +7.9% |
| 1965 | 55,215 | +6.6% |
| 1966 | 56,730 | +2.7% |
| 1967 | 64,688 | +14.0% |
| 1968 | 65,853 | +1.8% |
| 1969 | 67,689 | +2.8% |
| 1970 | 79,488 | +17.4% |
| 1971 | 80,334 | +1.1% |
| 1972 | 88,538 | +10.2% |
| 1973 | 96,588 | +9.1% |
| 1974 | 104,374 | +8.1% |
| 1975 | 121,662 | +16.6% |
| 1976 | 120,863 | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 121,709 | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 139,566 | +14.7% |
| 1979 | 135,374 | -3.0% |
| 1980 | 137,564 | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 134,263 | -2.4% |
| 1982 | 141,102 | +5.1% |
| 1983 | 131,450 | -6.8% |
| 1984 | 137,892 | +4.9% |
| 1985 | 152,603 | +10.7% |
| 1986 | 161,491 | +5.8% |
| 1987 | 165,224 | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 128,554 | -22.2% |
| 1989 | 123,940 | -3.6% |
| 1990 | 116,401 | -6.1% |
| 1991 | 117,410 | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 97,368 | -17.1% |
| 1993 | 98,467 | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 93,906 | -4.6% |
| 1995 | 93,077 | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 90,874 | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 92,852 | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 89,756 | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 81,026 | -9.7% |
| 2000 | 81,392 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 80,306 | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 73,355 | -8.7% |
| 2003 | 71,777 | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 65,398 | -8.9% |
| 2005 | 56,990 | -12.9% |
| 2006 | 55,440 | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 56,288 | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 55,243 | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 44,660 | -19.2% |
| 2010 | 42,765 | -4.2% |
| 2011 | 47,492 | +11.1% |
| 2012 | 21,529 | -54.7% |
| 2013 | 18,143 | -15.7% |
| 2014 | 13,417 | -26.1% |
| 2015 | 25,367 | +89.1% |
| 2016 | 31,682 | +24.9% |
| 2017 | 33,501 | +5.7% |
| 2018 | 31,443 | -6.1% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 31,443 is above the median for high income countries, which is 8,028, 3.9× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Italy's 31,443 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15,212, 2.1× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fish discards in Italy 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +89.1% | 13,417 | 25,367 |
| 2012 | -54.7% | 47,492 | 21,529 |
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
More agriculture & rural data for Italy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.12 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0207 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 894.54 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.3131 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3032 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
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
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.