Fish discards in Portugal
Portugal: Fish discards was 82,934 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
82,934
Change on year
up 13.2%
World rank
18th
of 161 countries
All-time high
904,138
in 1956
All-time low
66,038
in 2014
Years of data
69
1950–2018
Fish discards in Portugal, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 82,934 for fish discards in 2018.
The figure is up 13.2% on the previous year and up 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish discards in Portugal peaked at 904,138 in 1956 and was at its lowest, 66,038, in 2014.
Portugal ranks 18th of 161 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Fish discards in Portugal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 563,278 | — |
| 1951 | 500,125 | -11.2% |
| 1952 | 568,298 | +13.6% |
| 1953 | 783,336 | +37.8% |
| 1954 | 798,155 | +1.9% |
| 1955 | 819,377 | +2.7% |
| 1956 | 904,138 | +10.3% |
| 1957 | 864,781 | -4.4% |
| 1958 | 779,743 | -9.8% |
| 1959 | 706,964 | -9.3% |
| 1960 | 806,473 | +14.1% |
| 1961 | 858,696 | +6.5% |
| 1962 | 893,123 | +4.0% |
| 1963 | 903,210 | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 831,417 | -7.9% |
| 1965 | 760,056 | -8.6% |
| 1966 | 713,098 | -6.2% |
| 1967 | 783,823 | +9.9% |
| 1968 | 697,864 | -11.0% |
| 1969 | 582,128 | -16.6% |
| 1970 | 551,368 | -5.3% |
| 1971 | 501,640 | -9.0% |
| 1972 | 438,114 | -12.7% |
| 1973 | 434,452 | -0.8% |
| 1974 | 376,251 | -13.4% |
| 1975 | 275,919 | -26.7% |
| 1976 | 240,564 | -12.8% |
| 1977 | 172,955 | -28.1% |
| 1978 | 156,939 | -9.3% |
| 1979 | 152,073 | -3.1% |
| 1980 | 184,607 | +21.4% |
| 1981 | 185,563 | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 161,639 | -12.9% |
| 1983 | 169,604 | +4.9% |
| 1984 | 186,219 | +9.8% |
| 1985 | 218,008 | +17.1% |
| 1986 | 167,243 | -23.3% |
| 1987 | 185,962 | +11.2% |
| 1988 | 175,993 | -5.4% |
| 1989 | 163,121 | -7.3% |
| 1990 | 145,254 | -11.0% |
| 1991 | 126,540 | -12.9% |
| 1992 | 118,029 | -6.7% |
| 1993 | 114,266 | -3.2% |
| 1994 | 95,291 | -16.6% |
| 1995 | 89,018 | -6.6% |
| 1996 | 89,409 | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 93,384 | +4.4% |
| 1998 | 92,034 | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 79,257 | -13.9% |
| 2000 | 77,393 | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 77,549 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 73,154 | -5.7% |
| 2003 | 80,422 | +9.9% |
| 2004 | 77,149 | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 81,389 | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 78,128 | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 74,083 | -5.2% |
| 2008 | 75,126 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 66,710 | -11.2% |
| 2010 | 78,416 | +17.5% |
| 2011 | 85,826 | +9.4% |
| 2012 | 70,738 | -17.6% |
| 2013 | 71,846 | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 66,038 | -8.1% |
| 2015 | 71,774 | +8.7% |
| 2016 | 74,428 | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 73,290 | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 82,934 | +13.2% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 82,934 is above the median for high income countries, which is 8,028, 10.3× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 82,934 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15,212, 5.5× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 728,820 | 500,125 | 904,138 | 10 |
| 1960s | 782,989 | 582,128 | 903,210 | 10 |
| 1970s | 330,028 | 152,073 | 551,368 | 10 |
| 1980s | 179,796 | 161,639 | 218,008 | 10 |
| 1990s | 104,248 | 79,257 | 145,254 | 10 |
| 2000s | 76,110 | 66,710 | 81,389 | 10 |
| 2010s | 75,032 | 66,038 | 85,826 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More agriculture & rural data for Portugal
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0196 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 628.85 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5936 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.385 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish discards in Portugal?
- Fish discards in Portugal was 82,934 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish discards recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 904,138 in 1956.
- What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 66,038 in 2014.
- How does Portugal rank for fish discards?
- Portugal ranks 18th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish discards rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Portugal 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.