Japan's fish catch fell to a quarter of its peak
Capture fisheries production, million tonnes, 1984 (Japan's peak) vs 2024, Japan and major Asian and Pacific fishing nations.
- 1. Brazil has all but caught the US in farm exports
- 2. Brazil exports more chicken than the US and EU combined
- 3. India now ships over a third of world rice exports
- 4. Russia now exports twice as much wheat as the US
- 5. Egypt exports more fresh oranges than any other country
- 6. China buys three in ten of the world's beef imports
- 7. Farmed seafood now outweighs the wild catch
- 8. Spanish olive oil mill prices are back at 2021 levels
- 9. Ukraine sells a fifth less grain than before the war
- 10. Brazil overtook the US as the world's top cotton exporter
- 11. Laos now mines more potash than Israel or Jordan
- 12. India now grows more rice than China
- 13. Côte d'Ivoire grows more cashews than India
- 14. Indonesia set to use more palm oil than it exports
- 15. Mato Grosso grows more soy than China and India combined
- 16. Africa now has more hungry people than Asia
- 17. Vietnam now drinks more coffee than Russia
- 18. Nigeria now eats more rice than Japan
- 19. Ecuador is now the world's second-biggest cocoa bean exporter
- 20. Mexico, home of maize, imports more of it than anyone
- 21. Cuba now imports more raw sugar than it exports
- 22. Japan's fish catch fell to a quarter of its peak
Japan's wild fish catch in 2024, down from 11.6 Mt in 1984: the lowest since the series began in 1960.
Japan's fall since its 1984 peak. Indonesia (2.0 to 7.8 Mt), India (2.3 to 6.4 Mt) and Viet Nam (0.7 to 3.4 Mt) all now catch more.
The wild catch is moving to tropical Asia's fleets.
the numbers & method
| 1984 (Mt) | 2024 (Mt) | |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 11.6 | 2.8 |
| China | 3.9 | 13.3 |
| Indonesia | 2.0 | 7.8 |
| India | 2.3 | 6.4 |
| United States | 4.8 | 4.2 |
| Viet Nam | 0.7 | 3.4 |
Claim types Fact · Interpretation
World Bank WDI indicator ER.FSH.CAPT.MT (source: FAO), last updated 2026-10-08, read from the World Bank API. Capture fisheries = fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic animals caught in the wild, marine and inland; aquaculture excluded. Million tonnes, 1984 / 2024: Japan 11.617 / 2.848; China 3.941 / 13.262; Indonesia 1.982 / 7.817; India 2.303 / 6.356; United States 4.764 / 4.214; Viet Nam 0.658 / 3.434. Japan's highest value in the series is 1984 and its lowest is 2024 (series from 1960, when it was 5.95 Mt). Japan, 2019–2024: 3.26, 3.27, 3.24, 2.98, 2.98, 2.85. Viet Nam has caught more than Japan every year since 2018. The series has no Soviet Union before 1992, so no world rank is given for 1984. −75% (2.848 ÷ 11.617 = 0.245) is a progrss calculation. Takeaway 3 is Interpretation.
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