Wild fish catch by gear type in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Wild fish catch by gear type was 13,820 tonnes in 2018. ▼ Falling
Latest (2018)
13,820 tonnes
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
67th
of 111 countries
All-time high
49,296 tonnes
in 1973
All-time low
228.6 tonnes
in 1962
Years of data
57
1962–2018
Wild fish catch by gear type in Saudi Arabia, 1962–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2018, wild fish catch by gear type in Saudi Arabia stood at 13,820 tonnes.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and down 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wild fish catch by gear type in Saudi Arabia peaked at 49,296 tonnes in 1973 and was at its lowest, 228.6 tonnes, in 1962.
Saudi Arabia ranks 67th of 111 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 57 years of available data.
Wild fish catch by gear type in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 228.6 tonnes | — |
| 1963 | 4,003 tonnes | +1651.2% |
| 1964 | 5,422 tonnes | +35.4% |
| 1965 | 12,890 tonnes | +137.8% |
| 1966 | 19,952 tonnes | +54.8% |
| 1967 | 42,697 tonnes | +114.0% |
| 1968 | 42,975 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1969 | 42,780 tonnes | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 39,966 tonnes | -6.6% |
| 1971 | 36,369 tonnes | -9.0% |
| 1972 | 41,879 tonnes | +15.1% |
| 1973 | 49,296 tonnes | +17.7% |
| 1974 | 32,040 tonnes | -35.0% |
| 1975 | 32,313 tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 33,054 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 34,400 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1978 | 22,737 tonnes | -33.9% |
| 1979 | 11,195 tonnes | -50.8% |
| 1980 | 1,973 tonnes | -82.4% |
| 1981 | 10,310 tonnes | +422.5% |
| 1982 | 21,927 tonnes | +112.7% |
| 1983 | 23,710 tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1984 | 28,064 tonnes | +18.4% |
| 1985 | 29,761 tonnes | +6.0% |
| 1986 | 30,698 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 23,737 tonnes | -22.7% |
| 1988 | 23,150 tonnes | -2.5% |
| 1989 | 23,530 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 22,877 tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1991 | 26,993 tonnes | +18.0% |
| 1992 | 26,024 tonnes | -3.6% |
| 1993 | 26,429 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 26,085 tonnes | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 30,147 tonnes | +15.6% |
| 1996 | 30,263 tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 33,384 tonnes | +10.3% |
| 1998 | 28,426 tonnes | -14.9% |
| 1999 | 17,733 tonnes | -37.6% |
| 2000 | 15,657 tonnes | -11.7% |
| 2001 | 14,027 tonnes | -10.4% |
| 2002 | 15,060 tonnes | +7.4% |
| 2003 | 14,518 tonnes | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 11,614 tonnes | -20.0% |
| 2005 | 14,009 tonnes | +20.6% |
| 2006 | 13,525 tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 15,294 tonnes | +13.1% |
| 2008 | 15,242 tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 15,286 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 15,326 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 15,367 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 15,420 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 15,524 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 15,544 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 15,587 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 15,634 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 13,716 tonnes | -12.3% |
| 2018 | 13,820 tonnes | +0.8% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 13,820 tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 47,385 tonnes, 29% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 13,820 tonnes is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 11,256 tonnes, 1.2× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Wild fish catch by gear type in Saudi Arabia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | +1651.2% | 228.6 tonnes | 4,003 tonnes |
| 1981 | +422.5% | 1,973 tonnes | 10,310 tonnes |
| 1965 | +137.8% | 5,422 tonnes | 12,890 tonnes |
| 1967 | +114.0% | 19,952 tonnes | 42,697 tonnes |
| 1982 | +112.7% | 10,310 tonnes | 21,927 tonnes |
| 1980 | -82.4% | 11,195 tonnes | 1,973 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 21,368 tonnes | 228.6 tonnes | 42,975 tonnes | 8 |
| 1970s | 33,325 tonnes | 11,195 tonnes | 49,296 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 21,686 tonnes | 1,973 tonnes | 30,698 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 26,836 tonnes | 17,733 tonnes | 33,384 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 14,423 tonnes | 11,614 tonnes | 15,657 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 15,104 tonnes | 13,716 tonnes | 15,634 tonnes | 9 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More agriculture & rural data for Saudi Arabia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0259 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 894.48 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 3.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1539 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wild fish catch by gear type in Saudi Arabia?
- Wild fish catch by gear type in Saudi Arabia was 13,820 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 49,296 tonnes in 1973.
- What is the lowest wild fish catch by gear type recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 228.6 tonnes in 1962.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for wild fish catch by gear type?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 67th out of 111 countries with data for 2018.
- Is wild fish catch by gear type rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 — 57 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).