Wild fish catch by gear type in Malaysia
Malaysia: Wild fish catch by gear type was 667,346 tonnes in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
667,346 tonnes
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
10th
of 111 countries
All-time high
825,771 tonnes
in 1975
All-time low
3.71 tonnes
in 1955
Years of data
69
1950–2018
Wild fish catch by gear type in Malaysia, 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 Malaysia stood at 667,346 tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wild fish catch by gear type in Malaysia peaked at 825,771 tonnes in 1975 and was at its lowest, 3.71 tonnes, in 1955.
That places Malaysia 10th 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 Malaysia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 16.09 tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 8.87 tonnes | -44.9% |
| 1952 | 4.3 tonnes | -51.5% |
| 1953 | 6.81 tonnes | +58.5% |
| 1954 | 7.72 tonnes | +13.3% |
| 1955 | 3.71 tonnes | -52.0% |
| 1956 | 5.76 tonnes | +55.6% |
| 1957 | 4.1 tonnes | -28.9% |
| 1958 | 3.91 tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1959 | 5.8 tonnes | +48.3% |
| 1960 | 4.36 tonnes | -24.7% |
| 1961 | 578.18 tonnes | +13146.7% |
| 1962 | 1,332 tonnes | +130.4% |
| 1963 | 2,722 tonnes | +104.4% |
| 1964 | 77,024 tonnes | +2729.5% |
| 1965 | 103,922 tonnes | +34.9% |
| 1966 | 124,968 tonnes | +20.3% |
| 1967 | 134,416 tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1968 | 155,468 tonnes | +15.7% |
| 1969 | 151,842 tonnes | -2.3% |
| 1970 | 237,667 tonnes | +56.5% |
| 1971 | 401,567 tonnes | +69.0% |
| 1972 | 532,104 tonnes | +32.5% |
| 1973 | 648,742 tonnes | +21.9% |
| 1974 | 774,920 tonnes | +19.4% |
| 1975 | 825,771 tonnes | +6.6% |
| 1976 | 584,967 tonnes | -29.2% |
| 1977 | 601,615 tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1978 | 669,742 tonnes | +11.3% |
| 1979 | 679,846 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 520,812 tonnes | -23.4% |
| 1981 | 529,176 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 551,052 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1983 | 552,474 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 552,993 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 534,023 tonnes | -3.4% |
| 1986 | 553,536 tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1987 | 594,011 tonnes | +7.3% |
| 1988 | 573,455 tonnes | -3.5% |
| 1989 | 602,757 tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1990 | 690,279 tonnes | +14.5% |
| 1991 | 670,525 tonnes | -2.9% |
| 1992 | 696,092 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 686,536 tonnes | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 699,963 tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 703,256 tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 669,706 tonnes | -4.8% |
| 1997 | 643,788 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1998 | 690,003 tonnes | +7.2% |
| 1999 | 702,295 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 723,971 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 691,518 tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2002 | 724,615 tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 740,060 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 746,154 tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 643,590 tonnes | -13.7% |
| 2006 | 641,160 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 658,297 tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 638,449 tonnes | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 637,141 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 653,635 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 624,161 tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2012 | 665,888 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2013 | 671,955 tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 663,568 tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 680,416 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 715,534 tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 665,465 tonnes | -7.0% |
| 2018 | 667,346 tonnes | +0.3% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 667,346 tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 18,359 tonnes, 36.4× the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 667,346 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 464,776 tonnes, 1.4× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Wild fish catch by gear type in Malaysia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | +13146.7% | 4.36 tonnes | 578.18 tonnes |
| 1964 | +2729.5% | 2,722 tonnes | 77,024 tonnes |
| 1962 | +130.4% | 578.18 tonnes | 1,332 tonnes |
| 1963 | +104.4% | 1,332 tonnes | 2,722 tonnes |
| 1971 | +69.0% | 237,667 tonnes | 401,567 tonnes |
| 1953 | +58.5% | 4.3 tonnes | 6.81 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.71 tonnes | 3.71 tonnes | 16.09 tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 75,228 tonnes | 4.36 tonnes | 155,468 tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 595,694 tonnes | 237,667 tonnes | 825,771 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 556,429 tonnes | 520,812 tonnes | 602,757 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 685,244 tonnes | 643,788 tonnes | 703,256 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 684,496 tonnes | 637,141 tonnes | 746,154 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 667,552 tonnes | 624,161 tonnes | 715,534 tonnes | 9 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More agriculture & rural data for Malaysia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0822 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,078 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.913 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2261 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wild fish catch by gear type in Malaysia?
- Wild fish catch by gear type in Malaysia was 667,346 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 825,771 tonnes in 1975.
- What is the lowest wild fish catch by gear type recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.71 tonnes in 1955.
- How does Malaysia rank for wild fish catch by gear type?
- Malaysia ranks 10th out of 111 countries with data for 2018.
- Is wild fish catch by gear type rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malaysia 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
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