Fishing fleet — Vessels in China

China: Fishing fleet — Vessels was 10.02 million Gross tonnage in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
10.02 million Gross tonnage
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
1st
of 28 countries
All-time high
10.98 million Gross tonnage
in 2016
All-time low
7.49 million Gross tonnage
in 1999
Years of data
23
1999–2021

Fishing fleet — Vessels in China, 1999–2021

02.5M5.0M7.5M10.0M1999201020211999: 7.5M Gross tonnage2000: 7.6M Gross tonnage2001: 7.8M Gross tonnage2002: 7.6M Gross tonnage2003: 7.9M Gross tonnage2004: 7.9M Gross tonnage2005: 7.9M Gross tonnage2006: 8.1M Gross tonnage2007: 8.6M Gross tonnage2008: 9.0M Gross tonnage2009: 9.2M Gross tonnage2010: 9.4M Gross tonnage2011: 9.6M Gross tonnage2012: 10.1M Gross tonnage2013: 10.4M Gross tonnage2014: 10.7M Gross tonnage2015: 10.9M Gross tonnage2016: 11.0M Gross tonnage2017: 10.8M Gross tonnage2018: 10.8M Gross tonnage2019: 10.4M Gross tonnage2020: 10.1M Gross tonnage2021: 10.0M Gross tonnage

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Gross tonnage.

Analysis

In 2021, fishing fleet — vessels in China stood at 10.02 million Gross tonnage.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fishing fleet — vessels in China peaked at 10.98 million Gross tonnage in 2016 and was at its lowest, 7.49 million Gross tonnage, in 1999.

That places China 1st out of 28 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Fishing fleet — Vessels in China, year by year

Annual values for Fishing fleet — Vessels in China, 1999 to 2021.
Year Gross tonnage Change
1999 7.49 million Gross tonnage
2000 7.61 million Gross tonnage +1.6%
2001 7.80 million Gross tonnage +2.5%
2002 7.62 million Gross tonnage -2.4%
2003 7.93 million Gross tonnage +4.1%
2004 7.85 million Gross tonnage -1.0%
2005 7.87 million Gross tonnage +0.3%
2006 8.08 million Gross tonnage +2.6%
2007 8.56 million Gross tonnage +6.0%
2008 8.97 million Gross tonnage +4.7%
2009 9.18 million Gross tonnage +2.4%
2010 9.41 million Gross tonnage +2.5%
2011 9.57 million Gross tonnage +1.7%
2012 10.10 million Gross tonnage +5.5%
2013 10.44 million Gross tonnage +3.4%
2014 10.70 million Gross tonnage +2.5%
2015 10.86 million Gross tonnage +1.5%
2016 10.98 million Gross tonnage +1.1%
2017 10.82 million Gross tonnage -1.5%
2018 10.80 million Gross tonnage -0.2%
2019 10.40 million Gross tonnage -3.7%
2020 10.06 million Gross tonnage -3.3%
2021 10.02 million Gross tonnage -0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 7.49 million Gross tonnage 7.49 million Gross tonnage 7.49 million Gross tonnage 1
2000s 8.15 million Gross tonnage 7.61 million Gross tonnage 9.18 million Gross tonnage 10
2010s 10.41 million Gross tonnage 9.41 million Gross tonnage 10.98 million Gross tonnage 10
2020s 10.04 million Gross tonnage 10.02 million Gross tonnage 10.06 million Gross tonnage 2

Countries ranked near China

  1. 2 Japan 876,055 Gross tonnage compare
  2. 3 Taiwan, China 563,019 Gross tonnage compare
  3. 4 Peru 498,559 Gross tonnage compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More agriculture & rural data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is fishing fleet — vessels in China?
Fishing fleet — vessels in China was 10.02 million Gross tonnage in 2021, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest fishing fleet — vessels recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 10.98 million Gross tonnage in 2016.
What is the lowest fishing fleet — vessels recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 7.49 million Gross tonnage in 1999.
How does China rank for fishing fleet — vessels?
China ranks 1st out of 28 countries with data for 2021.
Is fishing fleet — vessels rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Fishing fleet — Vessels. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Fishing fleet — Vessels in China. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/fishing-fleet-vessels/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Fishing fleet — Vessels
Unit
Gross tonnage
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
38 places, 883 data points, 1995–2022
Last refreshed

The dataset covers the number and gross tonnage of national active fishing vessels—vessels that, at the time of reporting, are active and engaged solely in catching operations. This includes all types of vessels: industrial and artisanal, motorized and unmotorized, decked and undecked, fishing in marine and inland waters. Data are broken down by length classes, expressed in meters. The unit of measure ‘Vessels’ should be read as ‘Number of vessels’. Fishing fleet - General notes Fishing fleet - Notes on individual countries and areas