Wild fish catch by gear type in China
China: Wild fish catch by gear type was 7.33 million tonnes in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
7.33 million tonnes
Change on year
down 9.4%
World rank
1st
of 111 countries
All-time high
8.32 million tonnes
in 2016
All-time low
48,346 tonnes
in 1950
Years of data
69
1950–2018
Wild fish catch by gear type in China, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2018, wild fish catch by gear type in China stood at 7.33 million tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.4% on the previous year and up 27.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wild fish catch by gear type in China peaked at 8.32 million tonnes in 2016 and was at its lowest, 48,346 tonnes, in 1950.
That places China 1st out of 111 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.
Wild fish catch by gear type in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 48,346 tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 72,656 tonnes | +50.3% |
| 1952 | 94,961 tonnes | +30.7% |
| 1953 | 100,125 tonnes | +5.4% |
| 1954 | 123,446 tonnes | +23.3% |
| 1955 | 143,891 tonnes | +16.6% |
| 1956 | 183,159 tonnes | +27.3% |
| 1957 | 186,534 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1958 | 205,267 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 1959 | 226,989 tonnes | +10.6% |
| 1960 | 248,742 tonnes | +9.6% |
| 1961 | 273,810 tonnes | +10.1% |
| 1962 | 303,201 tonnes | +10.7% |
| 1963 | 329,952 tonnes | +8.8% |
| 1964 | 350,294 tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1965 | 381,849 tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1966 | 402,094 tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1967 | 417,802 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1968 | 456,519 tonnes | +9.3% |
| 1969 | 468,096 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 1970 | 456,376 tonnes | -2.5% |
| 1971 | 519,475 tonnes | +13.8% |
| 1972 | 599,795 tonnes | +15.5% |
| 1973 | 712,112 tonnes | +18.7% |
| 1974 | 823,890 tonnes | +15.7% |
| 1975 | 859,726 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1976 | 902,153 tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1977 | 943,653 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 1978 | 880,743 tonnes | -6.7% |
| 1979 | 774,984 tonnes | -12.0% |
| 1980 | 834,791 tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1981 | 860,438 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1982 | 1.03 million tonnes | +19.6% |
| 1983 | 1.07 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1984 | 1.19 million tonnes | +10.9% |
| 1985 | 1.34 million tonnes | +12.6% |
| 1986 | 1.63 million tonnes | +21.6% |
| 1987 | 1.89 million tonnes | +16.5% |
| 1988 | 2.11 million tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1989 | 2.37 million tonnes | +12.8% |
| 1990 | 2.60 million tonnes | +9.5% |
| 1991 | 2.95 million tonnes | +13.3% |
| 1992 | 3.38 million tonnes | +14.7% |
| 1993 | 3.87 million tonnes | +14.4% |
| 1994 | 4.59 million tonnes | +18.6% |
| 1995 | 5.33 million tonnes | +16.3% |
| 1996 | 5.85 million tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1997 | 5.64 million tonnes | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 6.01 million tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1999 | 5.86 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 5.78 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 5.71 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 5.59 million tonnes | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 5.56 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 5.71 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 5.77 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 5.90 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 5.75 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 5.74 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 5.94 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 6.06 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 6.30 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 6.16 million tonnes | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 6.43 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 8.14 million tonnes | +26.6% |
| 2015 | 8.26 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 8.32 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 8.08 million tonnes | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 7.33 million tonnes | -9.4% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 7.33 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 18,359 tonnes, 399.0× the median. (30 countries reporting)
- China's 7.33 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 464,776 tonnes, 15.8× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 138,537 tonnes | 48,346 tonnes | 226,989 tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 363,236 tonnes | 248,742 tonnes | 468,096 tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 747,291 tonnes | 456,376 tonnes | 943,653 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.43 million tonnes | 834,791 tonnes | 2.37 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.61 million tonnes | 2.60 million tonnes | 6.01 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.75 million tonnes | 5.56 million tonnes | 5.94 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.23 million tonnes | 6.06 million tonnes | 8.32 million tonnes | 9 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0666 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 923.03 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3366 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wild fish catch by gear type in China?
- Wild fish catch by gear type in China was 7.33 million tonnes in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest wild fish catch by gear type recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 8.32 million tonnes in 2016.
- What is the lowest wild fish catch by gear type recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 48,346 tonnes in 1950.
- How does China rank for wild fish catch by gear type?
- China ranks 1st out of 111 countries with data for 2018.
- Is wild fish catch by gear type rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Wild fish catch by gear type. 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).