Aquaculture in numbers
Consumption of fishery and aquaculture products
The demand for fishery and aquaculture products has increased significantly worldwide in recent decades. Average annual consumption in 2024 is 21.3 kg per capita, representing a 94% increase since 1970 (FAO, 2026). In 2024, of the 195 million metric tons of wild-caught fish and fish produced through aquaculture, about 89% was used for human consumption (FAO, 2026). As the intake of animal protein from the consumption of fish, crustaceans, and aquatic mollusks increases at a higher rate than from other animal protein sources (FAO, 2026), aquatic animals will play an important role in the human food supply in the future.
Production of aquaculture products
Since 1950, global aquaculture production has increased by an average of 3.2% per year (FAO, 2026). However, a downward trend is currently evident. In the 1990s, growth was still at 9.8%, falling to 6.1% in the 2000s and further to 4.4% in the 2010s. In 2024, about half (53%) of the total yield of aquatic animals came from aquaculture (FAO, 2026). The largest share, i.e. 89% of aquatic animals from aquaculture came from Asia (FAO, 2026). In this context, China in particular plays a significant role in production, as more aquaculture products have been produced in China since 1991 than in all other countries of the world combined (FAO, 2020).
For comparison: Amount of fish produced in aquaculture in four selected countries.
(FIZ, 2024; FAO, 2026)
Germany
32,653 tons (2023)
Norway
1,667,000 tons (2024)
India
12,088,000 tons (2024)
China (mainland)
57,557,000 tons (2024)