Fish discards in Norway
Norway: Fish discards was 8,624 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Fish discards in Norway, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fish discards in Norway is 8,624, measured in 2018.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and down 82.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish discards in Norway peaked at 391,535 in 1967 and was at its lowest, 7,990, in 2015.
That places Norway 67th 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 Norway, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 113,948 | — |
| 1951 | 145,968 | +28.1% |
| 1952 | 230,890 | +58.2% |
| 1953 | 234,418 | +1.5% |
| 1954 | 346,032 | +47.6% |
| 1955 | 293,594 | -15.2% |
| 1956 | 319,093 | +8.7% |
| 1957 | 259,927 | -18.5% |
| 1958 | 229,629 | -11.7% |
| 1959 | 203,777 | -11.3% |
| 1960 | 218,213 | +7.1% |
| 1961 | 236,120 | +8.2% |
| 1962 | 190,995 | -19.1% |
| 1963 | 189,680 | -0.7% |
| 1964 | 219,649 | +15.8% |
| 1965 | 247,891 | +12.9% |
| 1966 | 312,092 | +25.9% |
| 1967 | 391,535 | +25.5% |
| 1968 | 241,024 | -38.4% |
| 1969 | 196,626 | -18.4% |
| 1970 | 136,371 | -30.6% |
| 1971 | 82,580 | -39.4% |
| 1972 | 88,749 | +7.5% |
| 1973 | 62,605 | -29.5% |
| 1974 | 40,188 | -35.8% |
| 1975 | 29,562 | -26.4% |
| 1976 | 27,126 | -8.2% |
| 1977 | 13,382 | -50.7% |
| 1978 | 15,646 | +16.9% |
| 1979 | 17,003 | +8.7% |
| 1980 | 17,432 | +2.5% |
| 1981 | 19,696 | +13.0% |
| 1982 | 18,414 | -6.5% |
| 1983 | 22,060 | +19.8% |
| 1984 | 21,900 | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 79,730 | +264.1% |
| 1986 | 32,295 | -59.5% |
| 1987 | 38,110 | +18.0% |
| 1988 | 39,680 | +4.1% |
| 1989 | 42,067 | +6.0% |
| 1990 | 37,758 | -10.2% |
| 1991 | 31,726 | -16.0% |
| 1992 | 40,242 | +26.8% |
| 1993 | 42,425 | +5.4% |
| 1994 | 45,665 | +7.6% |
| 1995 | 51,335 | +12.4% |
| 1996 | 53,662 | +4.5% |
| 1997 | 60,025 | +11.9% |
| 1998 | 48,899 | -18.5% |
| 1999 | 51,042 | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 48,024 | -5.9% |
| 2001 | 42,431 | -11.6% |
| 2002 | 44,847 | +5.7% |
| 2003 | 48,159 | +7.4% |
| 2004 | 48,341 | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 45,802 | -5.3% |
| 2006 | 45,500 | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 49,120 | +8.0% |
| 2008 | 48,894 | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 51,965 | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 57,769 | +11.2% |
| 2011 | 10,352 | -82.1% |
| 2012 | 9,710 | -6.2% |
| 2013 | 9,081 | -6.5% |
| 2014 | 8,031 | -11.6% |
| 2015 | 7,990 | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 8,528 | +6.7% |
| 2017 | 8,511 | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 8,624 | +1.3% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 8,624 is above the median for high income countries, which is 8,028, 1.1× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Norway's 8,624 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15,212, 57% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fish discards in Norway 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | +264.1% | 21,900 | 79,730 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 237,728 | 113,948 | 346,032 | 10 |
| 1960s | 244,382 | 189,680 | 391,535 | 10 |
| 1970s | 51,321 | 13,382 | 136,371 | 10 |
| 1980s | 33,138 | 17,432 | 79,730 | 10 |
| 1990s | 46,278 | 31,726 | 60,025 | 10 |
| 2000s | 47,308 | 42,431 | 51,965 | 10 |
| 2010s | 14,288 | 7,990 | 57,769 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Norway
- 64 Madagascar 10,135 compare
- 65 Papua New Guinea 9,496 compare
- 66 Nicaragua 9,062 compare
- 68 Somalia 8,349 compare
- 69 Cape Verde 8,118 compare
- 70 Seychelles 8,028 compare
More agriculture & rural data for Norway
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0164 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,553 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.7644 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1643 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish discards in Norway?
- Fish discards in Norway was 8,624 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish discards recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 391,535 in 1967.
- What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,990 in 2015.
- How does Norway rank for fish discards?
- Norway ranks 67th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish discards rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 82.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Norway 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.