Fish discards in Mozambique
Mozambique: Fish discards was 25,178 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Fish discards in Mozambique, 1958–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, fish discards in Mozambique stood at 25,178.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.0% on the previous year and up 28.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish discards in Mozambique peaked at 44,117 in 1988 and was at its lowest, 1,122, in 1963.
Mozambique ranks 43rd of 161 countries on this measure, 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 Mozambique, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 1,450 | — |
| 1959 | 1,160 | -20.0% |
| 1960 | 1,160 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 1,380 | +19.0% |
| 1962 | 1,186 | -14.1% |
| 1963 | 1,122 | -5.4% |
| 1964 | 1,282 | +14.2% |
| 1965 | 1,621 | +26.5% |
| 1966 | 2,955 | +82.3% |
| 1967 | 3,007 | +1.8% |
| 1968 | 3,103 | +3.2% |
| 1969 | 3,262 | +5.1% |
| 1970 | 3,271 | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 7,407 | +126.4% |
| 1972 | 7,798 | +5.3% |
| 1973 | 9,982 | +28.0% |
| 1974 | 17,609 | +76.4% |
| 1975 | 12,583 | -28.5% |
| 1976 | 18,850 | +49.8% |
| 1977 | 15,620 | -17.1% |
| 1978 | 20,684 | +32.4% |
| 1979 | 18,070 | -12.6% |
| 1980 | 34,887 | +93.1% |
| 1981 | 35,470 | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 28,969 | -18.3% |
| 1983 | 30,469 | +5.2% |
| 1984 | 21,491 | -29.5% |
| 1985 | 23,842 | +10.9% |
| 1986 | 41,233 | +72.9% |
| 1987 | 41,538 | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 44,117 | +6.2% |
| 1989 | 35,064 | -20.5% |
| 1990 | 37,364 | +6.6% |
| 1991 | 40,145 | +7.4% |
| 1992 | 27,329 | -31.9% |
| 1993 | 40,046 | +46.5% |
| 1994 | 35,959 | -10.2% |
| 1995 | 37,012 | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 35,845 | -3.2% |
| 1997 | 40,072 | +11.8% |
| 1998 | 34,112 | -14.9% |
| 1999 | 31,766 | -6.9% |
| 2000 | 30,849 | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 30,659 | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 29,574 | -3.5% |
| 2003 | 25,933 | -12.3% |
| 2004 | 26,231 | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 29,475 | +12.4% |
| 2006 | 26,430 | -10.3% |
| 2007 | 24,310 | -8.0% |
| 2008 | 19,623 | -19.3% |
| 2009 | 18,693 | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 24,806 | +32.7% |
| 2011 | 21,144 | -14.8% |
| 2012 | 16,394 | -22.5% |
| 2013 | 16,003 | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 25,213 | +57.6% |
| 2015 | 22,329 | -11.4% |
| 2016 | 21,779 | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 27,369 | +25.7% |
| 2018 | 25,178 | -8.0% |
Mozambique compared with similar countries
- Mozambique's 25,178 is above the median for low income countries, which is 179.59, 140.2× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Mozambique's 25,178 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,311, 19.2× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fish discards in Mozambique 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | +126.4% | 3,271 | 7,407 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1,305 | 1,160 | 1,450 | 2 |
| 1960s | 2,008 | 1,122 | 3,262 | 10 |
| 1970s | 13,187 | 3,271 | 20,684 | 10 |
| 1980s | 33,708 | 21,491 | 44,117 | 10 |
| 1990s | 35,965 | 27,329 | 40,145 | 10 |
| 2000s | 26,178 | 18,693 | 30,849 | 10 |
| 2010s | 22,246 | 16,003 | 27,369 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Mozambique
More agriculture & rural data for Mozambique
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -0.2557 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2557 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 160.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6279 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 25.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 25.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish discards in Mozambique?
- Fish discards in Mozambique was 25,178 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish discards recorded in Mozambique?
- The highest recorded value was 44,117 in 1988.
- What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Mozambique?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,122 in 1963.
- How does Mozambique rank for fish discards?
- Mozambique ranks 43rd out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish discards rising or falling in Mozambique?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mozambique 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 — 61 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.