Fish discards in Libya
Libya: Fish discards was 17,225 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Fish discards in Libya, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fish discards in Libya is 17,225, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 69 years on record.
That represents a change of up 218.5% on the previous year and up 162.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish discards in Libya peaked at 17,225 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 140, in 1963.
That places Libya 55th out of 161 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Fish discards in Libya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 230 | — |
| 1951 | 220 | -4.3% |
| 1952 | 250 | +13.6% |
| 1953 | 260 | +4.0% |
| 1954 | 230 | -11.5% |
| 1955 | 210 | -8.7% |
| 1956 | 250 | +19.0% |
| 1957 | 320 | +28.0% |
| 1958 | 240 | -25.0% |
| 1959 | 240 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 200 | -16.7% |
| 1961 | 170 | -15.0% |
| 1962 | 150 | -11.8% |
| 1963 | 140 | -6.7% |
| 1964 | 160 | +14.3% |
| 1965 | 303.63 | +89.8% |
| 1966 | 343.82 | +13.2% |
| 1967 | 439.6 | +27.9% |
| 1968 | 585.17 | +33.1% |
| 1969 | 650 | +11.1% |
| 1970 | 759.68 | +16.9% |
| 1971 | 769.68 | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 584.4 | -24.1% |
| 1973 | 627 | +7.3% |
| 1974 | 806.4 | +28.6% |
| 1975 | 910.9 | +13.0% |
| 1976 | 735.4 | -19.3% |
| 1977 | 474.1 | -35.5% |
| 1978 | 750.5 | +58.3% |
| 1979 | 898 | +19.7% |
| 1980 | 1,605 | +78.7% |
| 1981 | 1,835 | +14.3% |
| 1982 | 2,166 | +18.0% |
| 1983 | 1,917 | -11.5% |
| 1984 | 2,215 | +15.6% |
| 1985 | 2,859 | +29.1% |
| 1986 | 3,161 | +10.6% |
| 1987 | 3,074 | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 2,983 | -3.0% |
| 1989 | 2,689 | -9.9% |
| 1990 | 2,850 | +6.0% |
| 1991 | 2,700 | -5.3% |
| 1992 | 3,003 | +11.3% |
| 1993 | 3,277 | +9.1% |
| 1994 | 4,097 | +25.0% |
| 1995 | 4,174 | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 4,369 | +4.7% |
| 1997 | 5,037 | +15.3% |
| 1998 | 5,200 | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 5,796 | +11.5% |
| 2000 | 6,273 | +8.2% |
| 2001 | 6,112 | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 4,589 | -24.9% |
| 2003 | 6,597 | +43.8% |
| 2004 | 6,399 | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 6,103 | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 5,644 | -7.5% |
| 2007 | 5,559 | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 6,575 | +18.3% |
| 2009 | 6,833 | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 6,709 | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 5,275 | -21.4% |
| 2012 | 7,109 | +34.8% |
| 2013 | 5,997 | -15.6% |
| 2014 | 4,622 | -22.9% |
| 2015 | 4,484 | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 4,990 | +11.3% |
| 2017 | 5,408 | +8.4% |
| 2018 | 17,225 | +218.5% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 17,225 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5,034, 3.4× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Libya's 17,225 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5,286, 3.3× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fish discards in Libya 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +218.5% | 5,408 | 17,225 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 245 | 210 | 320 | 10 |
| 1960s | 314.22 | 140 | 650 | 10 |
| 1970s | 731.61 | 474.1 | 910.9 | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,450 | 1,605 | 3,161 | 10 |
| 1990s | 4,050 | 2,700 | 5,796 | 10 |
| 2000s | 6,068 | 4,589 | 6,833 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6,869 | 4,484 | 17,225 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Libya
More agriculture & rural data for Libya
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -37.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.015 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 96.79 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.835 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1209 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2019)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.4% (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish discards in Libya?
- Fish discards in Libya was 17,225 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish discards recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 17,225 in 2018.
- What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 140 in 1963.
- How does Libya rank for fish discards?
- Libya ranks 55th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish discards rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 162.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Libya 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.