Fish Consumption by Country 2024

Fish and seafood are popular all over the world in nearly every culture. But, as the numbers show, there are some significant differences between nations and regions.

Overall, China is by far the world's largest consumer of fish, with 57,474 tons annually. That's more than four times greater than the next biggest, Indonesia, at 12,154 tons, with India close behind at 11,016 tons. The United States takes fourth place with 7,544 tons, and Japan rounds out the top five with 5,842 tons.

However, looking at the amount of fish consumed per person can provide a different picture that levels the playing field between large and small nations. The island nation of Iceland leads the pack by this metric with 90.59 kilograms of seafood per capita per year. Another country of islands, the Maldives, takes second place with 83.09 kilograms per person. Kiribati and Macau are essentially tied for third with approximately 73 kilograms per capita per year. Among the top 10 per capita fish-consuming nations, seven are islands, and five are located in the Asia-Pacific region.

Residents of countries consume nearly no fish or seafood. Afghanistan sits at the bottom of the list, with barely a third of a pound per capita per year. Ethiopia and Mongolia aren't much better, at just over half a pound per person. The central Asian nations of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are the fourth and fifth lowest, at two-thirds of a pound and just over a pound per capita, respectively. Other than Pakistan, Guinea-Bissau, and Sudan, the bottom ten fish-consuming nations per capita are landlocked or otherwise cut off from the world's oceans.

There are also some notable differences between freshwater fish consumption and marine (or saltwater) fish consumption. The most freshwater fish per capita is consumed in Cambodia (33.12 kilograms per person per year), Myanmar (31.88 kilograms), Laos (24.04), and Bangladesh (22.41.) Per capita, marine fish consumption is highest in Micronesia and Saint Kitts and Nevis, both of which sit around 25.7 kilograms per year. Antigua and Barbuda is close behind at 24.9 kilograms per capita per year.