Fish discards in Sweden
Sweden: Fish discards was 16,823 in 2018. ▲ Rising
Fish discards in Sweden, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fish discards in Sweden is 16,823, measured in 2018.
The figure is down 31.8% on the previous year and up 338.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish discards in Sweden peaked at 24,658 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 3,603, in 2007.
That places Sweden 56th out of 161 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 69 years of available data.
Fish discards in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 8,357 | — |
| 1951 | 7,674 | -8.2% |
| 1952 | 8,112 | +5.7% |
| 1953 | 7,449 | -8.2% |
| 1954 | 7,033 | -5.6% |
| 1955 | 7,748 | +10.2% |
| 1956 | 8,503 | +9.8% |
| 1957 | 9,868 | +16.0% |
| 1958 | 10,122 | +2.6% |
| 1959 | 10,472 | +3.5% |
| 1960 | 9,481 | -9.5% |
| 1961 | 10,104 | +6.6% |
| 1962 | 10,822 | +7.1% |
| 1963 | 11,896 | +9.9% |
| 1964 | 14,773 | +24.2% |
| 1965 | 14,645 | -0.9% |
| 1966 | 9,101 | -37.9% |
| 1967 | 9,300 | +2.2% |
| 1968 | 9,165 | -1.4% |
| 1969 | 7,351 | -19.8% |
| 1970 | 8,935 | +21.5% |
| 1971 | 8,003 | -10.4% |
| 1972 | 7,608 | -4.9% |
| 1973 | 6,646 | -12.6% |
| 1974 | 6,195 | -6.8% |
| 1975 | 6,614 | +6.8% |
| 1976 | 7,551 | +14.2% |
| 1977 | 5,479 | -27.4% |
| 1978 | 4,832 | -11.8% |
| 1979 | 5,037 | +4.2% |
| 1980 | 6,701 | +33.0% |
| 1981 | 7,889 | +17.7% |
| 1982 | 8,698 | +10.2% |
| 1983 | 8,751 | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 10,038 | +14.7% |
| 1985 | 8,788 | -12.4% |
| 1986 | 8,199 | -6.7% |
| 1987 | 8,173 | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 8,750 | +7.1% |
| 1989 | 8,971 | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 8,578 | -4.4% |
| 1991 | 8,624 | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 5,141 | -40.4% |
| 1993 | 6,789 | +32.1% |
| 1994 | 6,216 | -8.4% |
| 1995 | 7,857 | +26.4% |
| 1996 | 7,519 | -4.3% |
| 1997 | 4,831 | -35.7% |
| 1998 | 7,657 | +58.5% |
| 1999 | 7,646 | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 6,144 | -19.6% |
| 2001 | 7,677 | +24.9% |
| 2002 | 8,918 | +16.2% |
| 2003 | 9,468 | +6.2% |
| 2004 | 6,302 | -33.4% |
| 2005 | 4,776 | -24.2% |
| 2006 | 5,969 | +25.0% |
| 2007 | 3,603 | -39.6% |
| 2008 | 3,837 | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 4,045 | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 4,816 | +19.1% |
| 2011 | 11,858 | +146.2% |
| 2012 | 8,943 | -24.6% |
| 2013 | 10,997 | +23.0% |
| 2014 | 10,197 | -7.3% |
| 2015 | 23,798 | +133.4% |
| 2016 | 21,906 | -8.0% |
| 2017 | 24,658 | +12.6% |
| 2018 | 16,823 | -31.8% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 16,823 is above the median for high income countries, which is 8,028, 2.1× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 16,823 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15,212, 1.1× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fish discards in Sweden 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +146.2% | 4,816 | 11,858 |
| 2015 | +133.4% | 10,197 | 23,798 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 8,534 | 7,033 | 10,472 | 10 |
| 1960s | 10,664 | 7,351 | 14,773 | 10 |
| 1970s | 6,690 | 4,832 | 8,935 | 10 |
| 1980s | 8,496 | 6,701 | 10,038 | 10 |
| 1990s | 7,086 | 4,831 | 8,624 | 10 |
| 2000s | 6,074 | 3,603 | 9,468 | 10 |
| 2010s | 14,888 | 4,816 | 24,658 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More agriculture & rural data for Sweden
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 15.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.015 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 949.09 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1092 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 3.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish discards in Sweden?
- Fish discards in Sweden was 16,823 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish discards recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 24,658 in 2017.
- What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,603 in 2007.
- How does Sweden rank for fish discards?
- Sweden ranks 56th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish discards rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 338.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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.