Fish discards in Japan
Japan: Fish discards was 414,441 in 2018. ▼ Falling
Latest (2018)
414,441
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
5th
of 161 countries
All-time high
1.37 million
in 1985
All-time low
414,441
in 2018
Years of data
69
1950–2018
Fish discards in Japan, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Japan recorded 414,441 for fish discards in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 69 years on record.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 28.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish discards in Japan peaked at 1.37 million in 1985 and was at its lowest, 414,441, in 2018.
Japan ranks 5th of 161 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 69 years of available data.
Fish discards in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 497,227 | — |
| 1951 | 517,073 | +4.0% |
| 1952 | 560,608 | +8.4% |
| 1953 | 551,964 | -1.5% |
| 1954 | 559,698 | +1.4% |
| 1955 | 592,193 | +5.8% |
| 1956 | 770,062 | +30.0% |
| 1957 | 840,132 | +9.1% |
| 1958 | 507,195 | -39.6% |
| 1959 | 556,072 | +9.6% |
| 1960 | 640,063 | +15.1% |
| 1961 | 712,693 | +11.3% |
| 1962 | 672,383 | -5.7% |
| 1963 | 656,895 | -2.3% |
| 1964 | 741,698 | +12.9% |
| 1965 | 694,641 | -6.3% |
| 1966 | 711,128 | +2.4% |
| 1967 | 829,549 | +16.7% |
| 1968 | 836,451 | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 852,406 | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 917,326 | +7.6% |
| 1971 | 993,139 | +8.3% |
| 1972 | 1.02 million | +2.4% |
| 1973 | 990,594 | -2.6% |
| 1974 | 1.00 million | +1.3% |
| 1975 | 987,360 | -1.6% |
| 1976 | 1.03 million | +4.3% |
| 1977 | 1.00 million | -2.6% |
| 1978 | 950,516 | -5.2% |
| 1979 | 972,931 | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 1.05 million | +8.0% |
| 1981 | 1.08 million | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 1.09 million | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 1.15 million | +5.7% |
| 1984 | 1.32 million | +15.2% |
| 1985 | 1.37 million | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 1.23 million | -10.0% |
| 1987 | 1.15 million | -6.3% |
| 1988 | 1.12 million | -2.5% |
| 1989 | 1.19 million | +5.7% |
| 1990 | 1.22 million | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 1.04 million | -14.9% |
| 1992 | 1.01 million | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 1.02 million | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 959,898 | -5.9% |
| 1995 | 986,304 | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 907,982 | -7.9% |
| 1997 | 938,263 | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 860,801 | -8.3% |
| 1999 | 805,356 | -6.4% |
| 2000 | 768,672 | -4.6% |
| 2001 | 725,295 | -5.6% |
| 2002 | 692,065 | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 645,807 | -6.7% |
| 2004 | 606,937 | -6.0% |
| 2005 | 587,783 | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 562,084 | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 563,930 | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 577,580 | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 516,684 | -10.5% |
| 2010 | 568,324 | +10.0% |
| 2011 | 526,952 | -7.3% |
| 2012 | 527,256 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 511,584 | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 500,533 | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 490,052 | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 430,977 | -12.1% |
| 2017 | 419,903 | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 414,441 | -1.3% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 414,441 is above the median for high income countries, which is 8,028, 51.6× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Japan's 414,441 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5,675, 73.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 595,222 | 497,227 | 840,132 | 10 |
| 1960s | 734,791 | 640,063 | 852,406 | 10 |
| 1970s | 986,471 | 917,326 | 1.03 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.18 million | 1.05 million | 1.37 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 974,713 | 805,356 | 1.22 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 624,684 | 516,684 | 768,672 | 10 |
| 2010s | 487,780 | 414,441 | 568,324 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More agriculture & rural data for Japan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0096 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 323.87 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.077 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.0% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish discards in Japan?
- Fish discards in Japan was 414,441 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish discards recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 1.37 million in 1985.
- What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 414,441 in 2018.
- How does Japan rank for fish discards?
- Japan ranks 5th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish discards rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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.