Capture fisheries production in South Africa
South Africa: Capture fisheries production was 521,938 metric tons in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
521,938 metric tons
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
36th
of 215 countries
All-time high
2.21 million metric tons
in 1968
All-time low
452,560 metric tons
in 1996
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Capture fisheries production in South Africa, 1960–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization., Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in metric tons.
Analysis
The most recent figure for capture fisheries production in South Africa is 521,938 metric tons, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 28.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, capture fisheries production in South Africa peaked at 2.21 million metric tons in 1968 and was at its lowest, 452,560 metric tons, in 1996.
That places South Africa 36th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Capture fisheries production in South Africa, year by year
| Year | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 882,523 metric tons | — |
| 1961 | 1.04 million metric tons | +17.8% |
| 1962 | 1.09 million metric tons | +5.0% |
| 1963 | 1.20 million metric tons | +9.8% |
| 1964 | 1.35 million metric tons | +12.9% |
| 1965 | 1.42 million metric tons | +4.9% |
| 1966 | 1.42 million metric tons | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 1.77 million metric tons | +24.5% |
| 1968 | 2.21 million metric tons | +24.7% |
| 1969 | 1.97 million metric tons | -10.9% |
| 1970 | 1.37 million metric tons | -30.6% |
| 1971 | 1.29 million metric tons | -5.5% |
| 1972 | 1.27 million metric tons | -1.7% |
| 1973 | 1.51 million metric tons | +18.8% |
| 1974 | 1.55 million metric tons | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 1.49 million metric tons | -3.6% |
| 1976 | 1.27 million metric tons | -14.6% |
| 1977 | 1.10 million metric tons | -13.7% |
| 1978 | 1.11 million metric tons | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 1.09 million metric tons | -2.4% |
| 1980 | 932,558 metric tons | -14.2% |
| 1981 | 948,000 metric tons | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 929,541 metric tons | -1.9% |
| 1983 | 995,565 metric tons | +7.1% |
| 1984 | 785,094 metric tons | -21.1% |
| 1985 | 849,111 metric tons | +8.2% |
| 1986 | 853,342 metric tons | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 1.47 million metric tons | +71.8% |
| 1988 | 1.34 million metric tons | -8.9% |
| 1989 | 905,668 metric tons | -32.2% |
| 1990 | 550,084 metric tons | -39.3% |
| 1991 | 512,115 metric tons | -6.9% |
| 1992 | 712,360 metric tons | +39.1% |
| 1993 | 588,913 metric tons | -17.3% |
| 1994 | 553,483 metric tons | -6.0% |
| 1995 | 597,349 metric tons | +7.9% |
| 1996 | 452,560 metric tons | -24.2% |
| 1997 | 539,537 metric tons | +19.2% |
| 1998 | 583,287 metric tons | +8.1% |
| 1999 | 633,148 metric tons | +8.5% |
| 2000 | 694,000 metric tons | +9.6% |
| 2001 | 815,928 metric tons | +17.6% |
| 2002 | 839,529 metric tons | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 872,015 metric tons | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 947,569 metric tons | +8.7% |
| 2005 | 850,712 metric tons | -10.2% |
| 2006 | 653,123 metric tons | -23.2% |
| 2007 | 725,694 metric tons | +11.1% |
| 2008 | 696,112 metric tons | -4.1% |
| 2009 | 548,340 metric tons | -21.2% |
| 2010 | 687,923 metric tons | +25.5% |
| 2011 | 575,659 metric tons | -16.3% |
| 2012 | 790,226 metric tons | +37.3% |
| 2013 | 505,247 metric tons | -36.1% |
| 2014 | 729,052 metric tons | +44.3% |
| 2015 | 631,822 metric tons | -13.3% |
| 2016 | 659,750 metric tons | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 590,560 metric tons | -10.5% |
| 2018 | 624,886 metric tons | +5.8% |
| 2019 | 519,876 metric tons | -16.8% |
| 2020 | 654,086 metric tons | +25.8% |
| 2021 | 616,385 metric tons | -5.8% |
| 2022 | 584,793 metric tons | -5.1% |
| 2023 | 523,519 metric tons | -10.5% |
| 2024 | 521,938 metric tons | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.44 million metric tons | 882,523 metric tons | 2.21 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.30 million metric tons | 1.09 million metric tons | 1.55 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.00 million metric tons | 785,094 metric tons | 1.47 million metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 572,284 metric tons | 452,560 metric tons | 712,360 metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 764,302 metric tons | 548,340 metric tons | 947,569 metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 631,500 metric tons | 505,247 metric tons | 790,226 metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 580,144 metric tons | 521,938 metric tons | 654,086 metric tons | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Newsprint — Import quantity, gaps filled 34,979 t (2024)
- Newsprint — Import quantity, annual growth rate 115.24 % change on previous year (2024)
- Newsprint — Import value, gaps filled 21,013 1000 USD (2024)
- Newsprint — Import value, annual growth rate 78.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Printing and writing papers — Import quantity, annual growth rate 36.55 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is capture fisheries production in South Africa?
- Capture fisheries production in South Africa was 521,938 metric tons in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization., Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest capture fisheries production recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.21 million metric tons in 1968.
- What is the lowest capture fisheries production recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 452,560 metric tons in 1996.
- How does South Africa rank for capture fisheries production?
- South Africa ranks 36th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is capture fisheries production rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization., Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Capture fisheries production (metric tons). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Capture fisheries production measures the volume of fish catches landed by a country for all commercial, industrial, recreational and subsistence purposes.