Fish discards in Peru
Peru: Fish discards was 326,784 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Fish discards in Peru, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, fish discards in Peru stood at 326,784.
That represents a change of up 70.9% on the previous year and down 35.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish discards in Peru peaked at 1.12 million in 1970 and was at its lowest, 86, in 1950.
That places Peru 7th out of 161 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Fish discards in Peru, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 86 | — |
| 1951 | 1,876 | +2081.4% |
| 1952 | 225 | -88.0% |
| 1953 | 288 | +28.0% |
| 1954 | 341 | +18.4% |
| 1955 | 478 | +40.2% |
| 1956 | 1,211 | +153.3% |
| 1957 | 5,000 | +312.9% |
| 1958 | 16,690 | +233.8% |
| 1959 | 71,136 | +326.2% |
| 1960 | 157,382 | +121.2% |
| 1961 | 292,546 | +85.9% |
| 1962 | 451,624 | +54.4% |
| 1963 | 445,921 | -1.3% |
| 1964 | 687,972 | +54.3% |
| 1965 | 508,100 | -26.1% |
| 1966 | 649,399 | +27.8% |
| 1967 | 809,281 | +24.6% |
| 1968 | 857,083 | +5.9% |
| 1969 | 699,269 | -18.4% |
| 1970 | 1.12 million | +60.4% |
| 1971 | 858,867 | -23.4% |
| 1972 | 245,064 | -71.5% |
| 1973 | 50,524 | -79.4% |
| 1974 | 178,866 | +254.0% |
| 1975 | 141,871 | -20.7% |
| 1976 | 199,445 | +40.6% |
| 1977 | 22,461 | -88.7% |
| 1978 | 38,948 | +73.4% |
| 1979 | 46,839 | +20.3% |
| 1980 | 20,450 | -56.3% |
| 1981 | 38,597 | +88.7% |
| 1982 | 62,760 | +62.6% |
| 1983 | 4,351 | -93.1% |
| 1984 | 7,378 | +69.6% |
| 1985 | 27,314 | +270.2% |
| 1986 | 184,917 | +577.0% |
| 1987 | 67,490 | -63.5% |
| 1988 | 124,767 | +84.9% |
| 1989 | 194,540 | +55.9% |
| 1990 | 138,952 | -28.6% |
| 1991 | 148,930 | +7.2% |
| 1992 | 286,825 | +92.6% |
| 1993 | 489,551 | +70.7% |
| 1994 | 805,170 | +64.5% |
| 1995 | 443,914 | -44.9% |
| 1996 | 538,755 | +21.4% |
| 1997 | 400,794 | -25.6% |
| 1998 | 79,853 | -80.1% |
| 1999 | 550,232 | +589.1% |
| 2000 | 800,532 | +45.5% |
| 2001 | 442,233 | -44.8% |
| 2002 | 629,800 | +42.4% |
| 2003 | 355,577 | -43.5% |
| 2004 | 803,726 | +126.0% |
| 2005 | 718,192 | -10.6% |
| 2006 | 459,827 | -36.0% |
| 2007 | 477,714 | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 506,453 | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 663,576 | +31.0% |
| 2010 | 446,460 | -32.7% |
| 2011 | 780,406 | +74.8% |
| 2012 | 400,928 | -48.6% |
| 2013 | 506,061 | +26.2% |
| 2014 | 185,964 | -63.3% |
| 2015 | 333,344 | +79.3% |
| 2016 | 233,970 | -29.8% |
| 2017 | 191,189 | -18.3% |
| 2018 | 326,784 | +70.9% |
Peru compared with similar countries
- Peru's 326,784 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5,034, 64.9× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Peru's 326,784 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5,850, 55.9× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fish discards in Peru 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | +2081.4% | 86 | 1,876 |
| 1999 | +589.1% | 79,853 | 550,232 |
| 1986 | +577.0% | 27,314 | 184,917 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 9,733 | 86 | 71,136 | 10 |
| 1960s | 555,858 | 157,382 | 857,083 | 10 |
| 1970s | 290,429 | 22,461 | 1.12 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 73,256 | 4,351 | 194,540 | 10 |
| 1990s | 388,298 | 79,853 | 805,170 | 10 |
| 2000s | 585,763 | 355,577 | 803,726 | 10 |
| 2010s | 378,345 | 185,964 | 780,406 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Peru
More agriculture & rural data for Peru
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 12.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0747 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 637.02 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.144 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 7.5% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 7.5% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish discards in Peru?
- Fish discards in Peru was 326,784 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish discards recorded in Peru?
- The highest recorded value was 1.12 million in 1970.
- What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Peru?
- The lowest recorded value was 86 in 1950.
- How does Peru rank for fish discards?
- Peru ranks 7th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish discards rising or falling in Peru?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Peru 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.