Agriculture
Mapped: Ocean Fishing and Aquaculture Around the World
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Ocean Fishing and Aquaculture Around the World
Fish and seafood is the most popularly consumed meat in the world, the first choice in more than 56 countries.
But where do our fish come from? Are they caught by massive ocean fishing boats, or farmed in sprawling aquaculture installations?
This map from creator Perrin Remonté points out where fishing activity (marked in white) occurs, using data from automatic identification system equipment aboard more than 70,000 industrial fishing vessels between 2012–2016.
The brightest white hotspots on the map—off the coast of China, western and nordic Europe, and the Pacific Northwest—give an indication of where most of the world’s fish supply is caught.
But who are the biggest producers?
Ranked: Which Country Produces the Most Fish?
By far the country with the biggest fish production is China, which supplied nearly 86 million metric tons of fish to the world in 2021, about 40% of global supply.
Chinese fishing vessels can be found fishing as far away from home as Argentina—sometimes illegally—to keep up with demand.
Here’s a list of the biggest fish producers, ranked by total output in 2021.
Rank | Territory | Fish Production (2021, tonnes) |
---|---|---|
1 | 🇨🇳 China | 85,948,134 |
2 | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 21,813,413 |
3 | 🇮🇳 India | 14,433,205 |
4 | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 8,289,524 |
5 | 🇵🇪 Peru | 6,726,989 |
6 | 🇷🇺 Russia | 5,487,045 |
7 | 🇺🇸 U.S. | 4,731,048 |
8 | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 4,621,228 |
9 | 🇳🇴 Norway | 4,220,624 |
10 | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 4,114,594 |
11 | 🇯🇵 Japan | 4,114,570 |
12 | 🇨🇱 Chile | 3,833,592 |
13 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 3,742,566 |
14 | 🇲🇲 Myanmar | 2,594,957 |
15 | 🇹🇭 Thailand | 2,402,021 |
16 | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 2,001,959 |
17 | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 1,875,566 |
18 | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | 1,760,054 |
19 | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 1,754,209 |
20 | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 1,434,205 |
21 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 1,410,979 |
22 | 🇮🇷 Iran | 1,258,203 |
23 | 🇮🇸 Iceland | 1,109,563 |
24 | 🇪🇸 Spain | 1,088,454 |
25 | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 1,080,855 |
26 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 945,954 |
27 | 🇴🇲 Oman | 923,786 |
28 | 🇰🇵 North Korea | 888,630 |
29 | 🇬🇧 UK | 864,698 |
30 | 🇲🇷 Mauritania | 860,217 |
31 | 🇰🇭 Cambodia | 856,400 |
32 | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 856,253 |
33 | 🇹🇷 Türkiye | 799,844 |
34 | 🇺🇬 Uganda | 760,545 |
35 | 🇫🇷 France | 708,995 |
36 | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 660,586 |
37 | 🇫🇴 Faroe Islands | 656,364 |
38 | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | 621,058 |
39 | 🇦🇴 Angola | 531,772 |
40 | 🇸🇳 Senegal | 515,108 |
41 | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 507,097 |
42 | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 501,855 |
43 | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 482,142 |
44 | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 459,937 |
45 | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 431,255 |
46 | 🇳🇦 Namibia | 411,170 |
47 | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | 376,763 |
48 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 340,131 |
49 | 🇬🇳 Guinea | 326,270 |
50 | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 321,390 |
51 | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | 300,130 |
52 | 🇦🇺 Australia | 297,233 |
53 | 🇮🇹 Italy | 296,358 |
54 | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | 276,701 |
55 | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 276,258 |
56 | 🇬🇱 Greenland | 271,027 |
57 | 🇵🇱 Poland | 246,172 |
58 | 🇨🇩 DRC | 233,860 |
59 | 🇬🇪 Georgia | 220,365 |
60 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 220,312 |
61 | 🇱🇦 Laos | 206,008 |
62 | 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone | 205,015 |
63 | 🇬🇷 Greece | 203,558 |
64 | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 199,046 |
65 | 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea | 194,786 |
66 | 🇧🇿 Belize | 192,226 |
67 | 🇰🇮 Kiribati | 191,168 |
68 | 🇵🇦 Panama | 183,774 |
69 | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 181,949 |
70 | 🇲🇼 Malawi | 180,508 |
71 | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 175,222 |
72 | 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | 171,933 |
73 | 🇿🇲 Zambia | 168,480 |
74 | 🇫🇲 Micronesia | 166,334 |
75 | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 152,728 |
76 | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 150,321 |
77 | 🇲🇻 Maldives | 144,993 |
78 | 🇫🇮 Finland | 139,370 |
79 | 🇸🇨 Seychelles | 139,174 |
80 | 🇾🇪 Yemen | 131,317 |
81 | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | 130,333 |
82 | 🇳🇵 Nepal | 121,854 |
83 | 🇳🇷 Nauru | 120,410 |
84 | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | 119,088 |
85 | 🇲🇱 Mali | 115,584 |
86 | 🇨🇮 Cote d'Ivoire | 111,015 |
87 | 🇹🇩 Chad | 103,110 |
88 | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 101,290 |
89 | 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands | 95,933 |
90 | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 89,253 |
91 | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | 86,280 |
92 | 🇩🇿 Algeria | 83,979 |
93 | 🇭🇳 Honduras | 79,518 |
94 | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 79,388 |
95 | 🇧🇯 Benin | 78,765 |
96 | 🇪🇪 Estonia | 73,085 |
97 | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | 71,754 |
98 | 🇨🇬 Congo | 70,330 |
99 | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 66,403 |
100 | 🇮🇶 Iraq | 66,374 |
101 | 🇦🇪 UAE | 63,852 |
102 | 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau | 63,231 |
103 | 🇱🇻 Latvia | 62,560 |
104 | 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands | 62,314 |
105 | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 61,390 |
106 | 🇻🇺 Vanuatu | 55,935 |
107 | 🇬🇲 Gambia | 52,687 |
108 | 🇳🇪 Niger | 47,672 |
109 | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 46,896 |
110 | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 46,432 |
111 | 🇸🇩 Sudan | 44,450 |
112 | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | 43,666 |
113 | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | 42,407 |
114 | 🇨🇺 Cuba | 40,718 |
115 | 🇬🇾 Guyana | 34,358 |
116 | 🇫🇯 Fiji | 33,081 |
117 | 🇲🇺 Mauritius | 32,955 |
118 | 🇸🇸 South Sudan | 32,545 |
119 | 🇸🇷 Suriname | 32,170 |
120 | 🇱🇾 Libya | 31,961 |
121 | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | 31,710 |
122 | 🇹🇻 Tuvalu | 31,097 |
123 | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | 30,609 |
124 | 🇸🇴 Somalia | 30,000 |
125 | 🇬🇦 Gabon | 29,925 |
126 | 🇨🇫 Central African Republic | 28,215 |
127 | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | 27,792 |
128 | 🇱🇷 Liberia | 25,444 |
129 | 🇨🇼 Curacao | 25,027 |
130 | 🇨🇿 Czechia | 24,305 |
131 | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 24,183 |
132 | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 22,447 |
133 | 🇧🇮 Burundi | 21,040 |
134 | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 20,397 |
135 | 🇧🇳 Brunei Darussalam | 20,063 |
136 | 🇦🇲 Armenia | 19,700 |
137 | 🇰🇲 Comoros | 19,356 |
138 | 🇲🇹 Malta | 18,936 |
139 | 🇹🇬 Togo | 18,866 |
140 | 🇦🇱 Albania | 18,283 |
141 | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 18,160 |
142 | 🇷🇴 Romania | 18,065 |
143 | 🇭🇹 Haiti | 17,830 |
144 | 🇮🇱 Israel | 16,910 |
145 | 🇶🇦 Qatar | 16,668 |
146 | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | 15,736 |
147 | 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan | 15,202 |
148 | 🇵🇫 French Polynesia | 14,802 |
149 | 🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago | 13,102 |
150 | 🇲🇩 Moldova | 12,905 |
151 | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 12,607 |
152 | 🇯🇲 Jamaica | 11,840 |
153 | 🇨🇻 Cabo Verde | 11,652 |
154 | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | 11,453 |
155 | 🇰🇬 Kyrgyz Republic | 10,320 |
156 | 🇷🇸 Serbia | 9,662 |
157 | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 9,264 |
158 | 🇼🇸 Samoa | 9,186 |
159 | 🇧🇾 Belarus | 9,115 |
160 | 🇧🇸 Bahamas | 8,705 |
161 | 🇸🇾 Syria | 6,660 |
162 | 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | 6,322 |
163 | 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste | 6,024 |
164 | 🇸🇹 Sao Tome & Principe | 6,020 |
165 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 5,550 |
166 | 🇵🇸 West Bank & Gaza | 5,348 |
167 | 🇦🇹 Austria | 5,270 |
168 | 🇳🇨 New Caledonia | 4,715 |
169 | 🇪🇷 Eritrea | 4,578 |
170 | 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | 4,389 |
171 | 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina | 4,124 |
172 | 🇸🇰 Slovak Republic | 4,119 |
173 | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | 3,975 |
174 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 3,850 |
175 | 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | 3,683 |
176 | 🇱🇧 Lebanon | 3,358 |
177 | 🇯🇪 Channel Islands | 3,333 |
178 | 🇦🇬 Antigua & Barbuda | 3,225 |
179 | 🇩🇯 Djibouti | 3,089 |
180 | 🇮🇲 Isle of Man | 3,041 |
181 | 🇯🇴 Jordan | 2,810 |
182 | 🇹🇨 Turks & Caicos Islands | 2,277 |
183 | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | 1,971 |
184 | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 1,955 |
185 | 🇲🇪 Montenegro | 1,666 |
186 | 🇱🇨 St. Lucia | 1,625 |
187 | 🇻🇨 St. Vincent & the Grenadines | 1,599 |
188 | 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | 1,598 |
189 | 🇱🇸 Lesotho | 1,556 |
190 | 🇲🇴 Macao | 1,500 |
191 | 🇹🇴 Tonga | 1,265 |
192 | 🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands | 1,134 |
193 | 🇦🇸 American Samoa | 1,079 |
194 | 🇬🇩 Grenada | 1,046 |
195 | 🇧🇧 Barbados | 872 |
196 | 🇵🇼 Palau | 804 |
197 | 🇻🇮 Virgin Islands | 428 |
198 | 🇧🇲 Bermuda | 419 |
199 | 🇰🇳 St. Kitts & Nevis | 371 |
200 | 🇩🇲 Dominica | 289 |
201 | 🇸🇽 Sint Maarten | 253 |
202 | 🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands | 230 |
203 | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | 208 |
204 | 🇧🇼 Botswana | 201 |
205 | 🇦🇼 Aruba | 167 |
206 | 🇸🇿 Eswatini | 165 |
207 | 🇬🇺 Guam | 141 |
208 | 🇰🇾 Cayman Islands | 135 |
209 | 🇫🇷 St. Martin | 90 |
210 | 🇬🇮 Gibraltar | 1 |
211 | 🇲🇨 Monaco | 1 |
N/A | 🌐 World | 216,872,258 |
Source: World Bank.
Other Asian countries—Indonesia (21.8 million tonnes), India (14.4 million tonnes), and Vietnam (8.2 million tonnes)—fill out the next few spots. Peru, with an annual production of 6.7 million tonnes rounds out the top five fish suppliers, which together account for nearly 60% of world fish supply.
The second half of the top 10 also has representatives from North America (the U.S.) and Europe (Russia), the latter whose fleets have also been caught fishing illegally off the coast of Africa.
Captured Ocean Fish vs Farmed Aquaculture Fish
A big footnote on total fish production is that it also includes aquaculture and farmed fish. Breaking down total fish supply between farmed and captured fish reveals some interesting trends. Here we rank the biggest fish suppliers by their farmed fish output.
Rank | Territory | Aquaculture Supply (2021, tonnes) | Captured Supply (2021, tonnes) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 🇨🇳 China | 72,805,297 | 13,142,837 |
2 | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 14,606,534 | 7,206,879 |
3 | 🇮🇳 India | 9,408,300 | 5,024,905 |
4 | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 4,749,274 | 3,540,250 |
5 | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 2,638,745 | 1,982,483 |
6 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 2,427,677 | 1,314,889 |
7 | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 2,272,528 | 1,842,067 |
8 | 🇳🇴 Norway | 1,665,112 | 2,555,512 |
9 | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 1,576,189 | 425,770 |
10 | 🇨🇱 Chile | 1,443,520 | 2,390,072 |
11 | 🇹🇭 Thailand | 989,898 | 1,412,123 |
12 | 🇯🇵 Japan | 963,680 | 3,150,890 |
13 | 🇲🇲 Myanmar | 929,217 | 1,665,740 |
14 | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | 896,435 | 863,619 |
15 | 🇰🇵 North Korea | 680,560 | 208,070 |
16 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 650,356 | 760,623 |
17 | 🇮🇷 Iran | 478,737 | 779,466 |
18 | 🇹🇷 Türkiye | 471,686 | 328,158 |
19 | 🇺🇸 U.S. | 448,615 | 4,282,433 |
20 | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 416,978 | 1,337,231 |
21 | 🇰🇭 Cambodia | 348,350 | 508,050 |
22 | 🇷🇺 Russia | 319,342 | 5,167,703 |
23 | 🇪🇸 Spain | 279,910 | 808,544 |
24 | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 275,645 | 805,210 |
25 | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 246,914 | 1,628,652 |
26 | 🇬🇧 UK | 230,280 | 634,419 |
27 | 🇫🇷 France | 198,886 | 510,110 |
28 | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 192,521 | 128,869 |
29 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 191,449 | 754,505 |
30 | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 164,527 | 496,059 |
31 | 🇵🇪 Peru | 150,818 | 6,576,171 |
32 | 🇮🇹 Italy | 145,862 | 150,496 |
33 | 🇬🇷 Greece | 143,926 | 59,632 |
34 | 🇺🇬 Uganda | 138,558 | 621,987 |
35 | 🇱🇦 Laos | 135,008 | 71,000 |
36 | 🇦🇺 Australia | 126,206 | 171,026 |
37 | 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | 118,933 | 53,000 |
38 | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 116,839 | 343,098 |
39 | 🇫🇴 Faroe Islands | 115,760 | 540,604 |
40 | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 114,490 | 67,459 |
41 | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | 106,482 | 514,575 |
42 | 🇳🇵 Nepal | 100,854 | 21,000 |
43 | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 89,380 | 392,762 |
44 | 🇿🇲 Zambia | 63,355 | 105,125 |
45 | 🇭🇳 Honduras | 63,268 | 16,250 |
46 | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | 53,601 | 223,100 |
47 | 🇮🇸 Iceland | 53,136 | 1,056,427 |
48 | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 50,977 | 380,278 |
49 | 🇵🇱 Poland | 44,787 | 201,385 |
50 | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 42,099 | 234,159 |
51 | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 40,594 | 466,503 |
52 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 40,590 | 299,541 |
53 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 32,649 | 187,663 |
54 | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | 32,583 | 11,082 |
55 | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | 31,006 | 55,275 |
56 | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 26,831 | 62,422 |
57 | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 26,077 | 124,243 |
58 | 🇮🇶 Iraq | 22,694 | 43,680 |
59 | 🇨🇺 Cuba | 22,665 | 18,053 |
60 | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 21,825 | 130,903 |
61 | 🇨🇿 Czechia | 20,991 | 3,314 |
62 | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 19,516 | 179,530 |
63 | 🇦🇲 Armenia | 18,930 | 770 |
64 | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 17,847 | 4,601 |
65 | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 17,309 | 29,123 |
66 | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 16,882 | 62,506 |
67 | 🇲🇹 Malta | 16,433 | 2,503 |
68 | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | 16,396 | 113,937 |
69 | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 15,253 | 159,969 |
70 | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 15,174 | 9,009 |
71 | 🇮🇱 Israel | 14,875 | 2,035 |
72 | 🇫🇮 Finland | 14,399 | 124,971 |
73 | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | 14,150 | 17,560 |
74 | 🇲🇩 Moldova | 12,905 | 0 |
75 | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | 12,749 | 59,005 |
76 | 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands | 12,461 | 49,854 |
77 | 🇷🇴 Romania | 11,714 | 6,351 |
78 | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 11,107 | 1,500 |
79 | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 10,525 | 491,330 |
80 | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | 10,313 | 32,094 |
81 | 🇰🇬 Kyrgyz Republic | 10,300 | 20 |
82 | 🇲🇼 Malawi | 9,948 | 170,560 |
83 | 🇸🇩 Sudan | 9,900 | 34,550 |
84 | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | 9,800 | 290,330 |
85 | 🇦🇱 Albania | 8,641 | 9,642 |
86 | 🇧🇾 Belarus | 8,504 | 611 |
87 | 🇲🇱 Mali | 8,484 | 107,100 |
88 | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 7,862 | 1,401 |
89 | 🇷🇸 Serbia | 7,308 | 2,354 |
90 | 🇵🇦 Panama | 6,704 | 177,069 |
91 | 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea | 6,122 | 188,664 |
92 | 🇨🇮 Cote d'Ivoire | 5,720 | 105,295 |
93 | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 5,438 | 41,457 |
94 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 5,244 | 306 |
95 | 🇨🇩 DRC | 5,195 | 228,665 |
96 | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 5,138 | 96,152 |
97 | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | 5,058 | 22,734 |
98 | 🇦🇹 Austria | 4,920 | 350 |
99 | 🇩🇿 Algeria | 4,779 | 79,200 |
100 | 🇧🇳 Brunei Darussalam | 4,768 | 15,295 |
101 | 🇧🇯 Benin | 4,150 | 74,615 |
102 | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | 3,909 | 115,179 |
103 | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | 3,853 | 7,600 |
104 | 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina | 3,819 | 305 |
105 | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 3,687 | 852,566 |
106 | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | 3,200 | 373,563 |
107 | 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | 3,169 | 514 |
108 | 🇦🇴 Angola | 2,808 | 528,964 |
109 | 🇬🇪 Georgia | 2,790 | 217,575 |
110 | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 2,730 | 17,667 |
111 | 🇦🇪 UAE | 2,663 | 61,189 |
112 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 2,364 | 1,486 |
113 | 🇸🇾 Syria | 2,350 | 4,310 |
114 | 🇲🇺 Mauritius | 2,316 | 30,640 |
115 | 🇸🇰 Slovak Republic | 2,304 | 1,815 |
116 | 🇯🇴 Jordan | 2,145 | 665 |
117 | 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | 2,039 | 2,350 |
118 | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 2,006 | 1,432,199 |
119 | 🇴🇲 Oman | 1,703 | 922,083 |
120 | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 1,686 | 269 |
121 | 🇭🇹 Haiti | 1,610 | 16,220 |
122 | 🇵🇫 French Polynesia | 1,559 | 13,243 |
123 | 🇱🇸 Lesotho | 1,501 | 55 |
124 | 🇧🇮 Burundi | 1,490 | 19,550 |
125 | 🇳🇨 New Caledonia | 1,411 | 3,305 |
126 | 🇸🇳 Senegal | 1,151 | 513,957 |
127 | 🇬🇳 Guinea | 1,150 | 325,120 |
128 | 🇯🇪 Channel Islands | 1,145 | 2,188 |
129 | 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste | 1,091 | 4,933 |
130 | 🇨🇬 Congo | 911 | 69,419 |
131 | 🇱🇻 Latvia | 901 | 61,658 |
132 | 🇯🇲 Jamaica | 884 | 10,956 |
133 | 🇹🇬 Togo | 882 | 17,984 |
134 | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | 878 | 29,731 |
135 | 🇲🇪 Montenegro | 858 | 808 |
136 | 🇪🇪 Estonia | 849 | 72,236 |
137 | 🇱🇧 Lebanon | 778 | 2,580 |
138 | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 740 | 60,650 |
139 | 🇵🇸 West Bank & Gaza | 687 | 4,661 |
140 | 🇧🇿 Belize | 605 | 191,621 |
141 | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | 507 | 1,464 |
142 | 🇳🇪 Niger | 472 | 47,200 |
143 | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | 450 | 3,525 |
144 | 🇳🇦 Namibia | 321 | 410,849 |
145 | 🇱🇷 Liberia | 275 | 25,169 |
146 | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 223 | 17,937 |
147 | 🇨🇫 Central African Republic | 215 | 28,000 |
148 | 🇱🇨 St. Lucia | 211 | 1,414 |
149 | 🇫🇯 Fiji | 206 | 32,874 |
150 | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | 193 | 15 |
151 | 🇧🇼 Botswana | 163 | 38 |
152 | 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan | 160 | 15,042 |
153 | 🇬🇾 Guyana | 142 | 34,216 |
154 | 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone | 115 | 204,900 |
155 | 🇬🇺 Guam | 115 | 26 |
156 | 🇶🇦 Qatar | 114 | 16,555 |
157 | 🇹🇩 Chad | 110 | 103,000 |
158 | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 103 | 66,300 |
159 | 🇹🇴 Tonga | 100 | 1,165 |
160 | 🇸🇿 Eswatini | 100 | 65 |
161 | 🇬🇦 Gabon | 65 | 29,860 |
162 | 🇸🇸 South Sudan | 45 | 32,500 |
163 | 🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands | 41 | 189 |
164 | 🇸🇷 Suriname | 40 | 32,130 |
165 | 🇬🇲 Gambia | 35 | 52,652 |
166 | 🇨🇻 Cabo Verde | 28 | 11,624 |
167 | 🇧🇧 Barbados | 26 | 847 |
168 | 🇬🇩 Grenada | 23 | 1,024 |
169 | 🇦🇬 Antigua & Barbuda | 20 | 3,205 |
170 | 🇦🇸 American Samoa | 20 | 1,059 |
171 | 🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago | 18 | 13,084 |
172 | 🇵🇼 Palau | 18 | 786 |
173 | 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | 18 | 1,580 |
174 | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | 16 | 15,720 |
175 | 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | 15 | 6,307 |
176 | 🇻🇨 St. Vincent & the Grenadines | 13 | 1,586 |
177 | 🇾🇪 Yemen | 10 | 131,307 |
178 | 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau | 10 | 63,221 |
179 | 🇱🇾 Libya | 10 | 31,951 |
180 | 🇼🇸 Samoa | 10 | 9,176 |
181 | 🇰🇾 Cayman Islands | 10 | 125 |
182 | 🇻🇮 Virgin Islands | 8 | 420 |
183 | 🇪🇷 Eritrea | 4 | 4,574 |
184 | 🇻🇺 Vanuatu | 3 | 55,932 |
185 | 🇰🇮 Kiribati | 2 | 191,166 |
186 | 🇰🇳 St. Kitts & Nevis | 2 | 369 |
187 | 🇦🇼 Aruba | 2 | 165 |
188 | 🇹🇻 Tuvalu | 1 | 31,096 |
189 | 🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands | 1 | 1,133 |
190 | 🇩🇲 Dominica | 1 | 288 |
191 | 🇳🇷 Nauru | 1 | 120,409 |
192 | 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands | 0 | 95,933 |
193 | 🇫🇲 Micronesia | 0 | 166,334 |
194 | 🇸🇨 Seychelles | 0 | 139,174 |
195 | 🇨🇼 Curacao | 0 | 25,027 |
196 | 🇧🇸 Bahamas | 0 | 8,705 |
197 | 🇹🇨 Turks & Caicos Islands | 0 | 2,277 |
198 | 🇲🇷 Mauritania | 0 | 860,217 |
199 | 🇬🇱 Greenland | 0 | 271,027 |
200 | 🇲🇻 Maldives | 0 | 144,993 |
201 | 🇸🇴 Somalia | 0 | 30,000 |
202 | 🇰🇲 Comoros | 0 | 19,356 |
203 | 🇸🇹 Sao Tome & Principe | 0 | 6,020 |
204 | 🇩🇯 Djibouti | 0 | 3,089 |
205 | 🇮🇲 Isle of Man | 0 | 3,041 |
206 | 🇲🇴 Macao | 0 | 1,500 |
207 | 🇧🇲 Bermuda | 0 | 419 |
208 | 🇸🇽 Sint Maarten | 0 | 253 |
209 | 🇫🇷 St. Martin | 0 | 90 |
210 | 🇬🇮 Gibraltar | 0 | 1 |
211 | 🇲🇨 Monaco | 0 | 1 |
N/A | 🌐 World | 126,035,146 | 92,177,119 |
Source: World Bank.
Aquaculture makes up the majority of fish production for all the big Asian producers in the top 10. However the inverse is true for European, North American, and South American countries.
While the history of aquaculture goes back thousands of years, its use began to rise steeply in the 2000s, with production overtaking captured fish in 2014. First seen as a solution to overfishing and to make the industry more sustainable, aquaculture’s problems are now beginning to weigh on the industry.
From the pollution it causes—in the form of feces—to its dependence on wild catch for feeding the stock, makes it far less sustainable than what is assumed. In fact, about 25% of wild catch is turned into fish meal—a mixture of less appetizing fish like anchovies, menhaden and herring—used to feed farmed fish.
How Secure is the Ocean Fishing Industry?
Fish and seafood is one of the most accessible sources of meat in the world, accounting for 17% of animal protein consumed. However, almost 90% of the world’s fish stocks are fully depleted while demand only continues to grow.
Unregulated and illegal fishing not only adds a sustainability burden to the planet, but the industry is also rife with human rights abuses, including human trafficking and modern slavery.
Meanwhile, only 3% of the world’s oceans are designated as protected marine reserves and even they lack the safeguards to fully stop exploitative fishing.

This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.
Agriculture
Ranked: The World’s Top Cotton Producers
As the most-used natural fiber, cotton has become the most important non-food agricultural product.

Ranked: The World’s Top Cotton Producers
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Cotton is present in our everyday life, from clothes to coffee strainers, and more recently in masks to control the spread of COVID-19.
As the most-used natural fiber, cotton has become the most important non-food agricultural product. Currently, approximately half of all textiles require cotton fibers.
The above infographic lists the world’s top cotton producers, using data from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Fancy Fabric
Originating from the Arabic word “quton,” meaning fancy fabric, cotton is a staple fiber made up of short fibers twisted together to form yarn.
The earliest production of cotton was around 5,000 B.C. in India, and today, around 25 million tons of cotton are produced each year.
Currently, five countries make up around 75% of global cotton production, with China being the world’s biggest producer. The country is responsible for over 23% of global production, with approximately 89 million cotton farmers and part-time workers. Cotton’s importance cannot be understated, as it is the primary input for the Chinese textile industry along with many other nations’ textile industries.
Top Cotton Producers | 2020/2021 (metric tons) | 2021/2022 (metric tons) |
---|---|---|
🇨🇳 China | 6,445,000 | 5,835,000 |
🇮🇳 India | 6,009,000 | 5,334,000 |
🇺🇸 United States | 3,181,000 | 3,815,000 |
🇧🇷 Brazil | 2,356,000 | 2,504,000 |
🇦🇺 Australia | 610,000 | 1,252,000 |
🇵🇰 Pakistan | 980,000 | 1,306,000 |
🇹🇷 Turkey | 631,000 | 827,000 |
🌐 Other | 4,059,000 | 4,282,000 |
Total | 24,271,000 | 25,155,000 |
The United States is the leading global exporter of cotton, exporting three-fourths of its crop with China as the top buyer.
Despite its importance for the global economy, cotton production faces significant sustainability challenges.
The Controversy Over Cotton
Cotton is one of the largest users of water among all agricultural commodities, and production often involves applying pesticides that threaten soil and water quality.
Along with this, production often involves forced and child labor. According to the European Commission, child labor in the cotton supply chain is most common in Africa and Asia, where it comes from small-holder farmers.
In 2020, U.S. apparel maker Patagonia stopped sourcing cotton from the autonomous territory of Xinjiang because of reports about forced labor and other human rights abuses against Uighurs and other ethnic minorities.
L Brands, the parent company of Victoria’s Secret, has also committed to eliminating Chinese cotton from its supply chain. Whether these changes in supply chains impact China’s cotton production and its practices, cotton remains essential to materials found across our daily lives.
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