Fish discards in Vietnam
Vietnam: Fish discards was 585,344 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Fish discards in Vietnam, 1987–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Vietnam recorded 585,344 for fish discards in 2018.
That represents a change of down 3.7% on the previous year and up 42.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish discards in Vietnam peaked at 607,979 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 7,681, in 1987.
Vietnam ranks 4th of 161 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Fish discards in Vietnam, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 7,681 | — |
| 1988 | 15,660 | +103.9% |
| 1989 | 25,295 | +61.5% |
| 1990 | 34,315 | +35.7% |
| 1991 | 45,954 | +33.9% |
| 1992 | 58,445 | +27.2% |
| 1993 | 73,939 | +26.5% |
| 1994 | 102,630 | +38.8% |
| 1995 | 121,762 | +18.6% |
| 1996 | 145,765 | +19.7% |
| 1997 | 167,684 | +15.0% |
| 1998 | 193,789 | +15.6% |
| 1999 | 233,476 | +20.5% |
| 2000 | 254,949 | +9.2% |
| 2001 | 272,291 | +6.8% |
| 2002 | 289,876 | +6.5% |
| 2003 | 308,047 | +6.3% |
| 2004 | 329,172 | +6.9% |
| 2005 | 348,790 | +6.0% |
| 2006 | 367,998 | +5.5% |
| 2007 | 389,570 | +5.9% |
| 2008 | 409,744 | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 431,718 | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 452,675 | +4.9% |
| 2011 | 472,778 | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 495,657 | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 519,088 | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 538,544 | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 563,145 | +4.6% |
| 2016 | 586,940 | +4.2% |
| 2017 | 607,979 | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 585,344 | -3.7% |
Vietnam compared with similar countries
- Vietnam's 585,344 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5,034, 116.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Vietnam's 585,344 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5,675, 103.1× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fish discards in Vietnam 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | +103.9% | 7,681 | 15,660 |
| 1989 | +61.5% | 15,660 | 25,295 |
| 1994 | +38.8% | 73,939 | 102,630 |
| 1990 | +35.7% | 25,295 | 34,315 |
| 1991 | +33.9% | 34,315 | 45,954 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16,212 | 7,681 | 25,295 | 3 |
| 1990s | 117,776 | 34,315 | 233,476 | 10 |
| 2000s | 340,216 | 254,949 | 431,718 | 10 |
| 2010s | 535,794 | 452,675 | 607,979 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Vietnam
More agriculture & rural data for Vietnam
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1164 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 589.88 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0489 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6117 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 11.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 11.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish discards in Vietnam?
- Fish discards in Vietnam was 585,344 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish discards recorded in Vietnam?
- The highest recorded value was 607,979 in 2017.
- What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Vietnam?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,681 in 1987.
- How does Vietnam rank for fish discards?
- Vietnam ranks 4th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish discards rising or falling in Vietnam?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Vietnam 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 — 32 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.