Food and Beverage
Fish Consumption by Country 2026
- Total consumption is shown in kilotonnes (1000 tonnes).
- Also known as a metric ton, one tonne = 1,000 kg, or roughly 2,204.6 lbs.
- Per capita values are displayed in kilograms per capita per year (kg/capita/yr).
- Values shown for China include mainland China only, as values for Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan are shown separately.
Fish and seafood are popular all over the world in nearly every culture. But, as the numbers show, this popularity varies among nations and regions.
Overall, China is by far the world’s largest consumer of fish, with 60,541 tons annually, as of 2022. That’s more than four times greater than the next biggest consumer, India, at 12,554 tons, with Indonesia close behind at 11,365 tons. The United States takes fourth place with 7,536 tons, and Japan rounds out the top five with 5,622 tons.
Top 10 Countries that Consume the Most Seafood
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 87.1 kilograms of seafood per capita per year. Another country of islands, the Maldives, takes second place with 80.07 kilograms per person. Kiribati and Macau are third and fourth with approximately 73 and 68 kilograms per capita per year, respectively. Among the top 10 per capita fish-consuming nations, seven are islands, and five are located in the Asia-Pacific region.
Residents of some countries consume nearly no fish or seafood. Afghanistan sits at the bottom of the list, with just under a pound per capita per year. Ethiopia isn’t doing much better, at just over half a pound per person. Sudan, Tajikistan, and Mongolia are all at about 1 kg (2.2 lbs) per capita. Among the bottom ten fish-consuming nations per capita, only Syria, Somalia, Pakistan, and Sudan have coastlines, while the others are landlocked.
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 Myanmar (33.42 kilograms per person per year), Cambodia (30.61 kilograms), Laos (24.42), and Bangladesh (21.56.) Per capita, marine fish consumption is highest in Tuvalu and Micronesia, both of which sit at around 26 kilograms per year. Antigua and Barbuda is close behind at 24.55 kilograms per capita per year.
