Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture was 56,118 metric tons in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Sri Lanka, 1960–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in metric tons.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 56,118 metric tons for seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in 2024.
The figure is down 7.8% on the previous year and up 64.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Sri Lanka peaked at 60,888 metric tons in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0 metric tons, in 1960.
That places Sri Lanka 47th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1961 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1962 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1963 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1964 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1965 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1966 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1967 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1968 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1969 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1970 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1971 | 5 metric tons | — |
| 1972 | 10 metric tons | +100.0% |
| 1973 | 20 metric tons | +100.0% |
| 1974 | 20 metric tons | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 20 metric tons | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 20 metric tons | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 20 metric tons | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 24 metric tons | +20.0% |
| 1979 | 27 metric tons | +12.5% |
| 1980 | 31 metric tons | +14.8% |
| 1981 | 47 metric tons | +51.6% |
| 1982 | 56 metric tons | +19.1% |
| 1983 | 70 metric tons | +25.0% |
| 1984 | 40 metric tons | -42.9% |
| 1985 | 280 metric tons | +600.0% |
| 1986 | 430 metric tons | +53.6% |
| 1987 | 530 metric tons | +23.3% |
| 1988 | 699 metric tons | +31.9% |
| 1989 | 730 metric tons | +4.4% |
| 1990 | 1,030 metric tons | +41.1% |
| 1991 | 1,530 metric tons | +48.5% |
| 1992 | 2,030 metric tons | +32.7% |
| 1993 | 2,530 metric tons | +24.6% |
| 1994 | 3,130 metric tons | +23.7% |
| 1995 | 3,359 metric tons | +7.3% |
| 1996 | 3,632 metric tons | +8.1% |
| 1997 | 3,680 metric tons | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 6,570 metric tons | +78.5% |
| 1999 | 3,900 metric tons | -40.6% |
| 2000 | 4,420 metric tons | +13.3% |
| 2001 | 3,610 metric tons | -18.3% |
| 2002 | 2,651 metric tons | -26.6% |
| 2003 | 3,462 metric tons | +30.6% |
| 2004 | 4,003 metric tons | +15.6% |
| 2005 | 4,304 metric tons | +7.5% |
| 2006 | 5,652 metric tons | +31.3% |
| 2007 | 8,233 metric tons | +45.7% |
| 2008 | 7,474 metric tons | -9.2% |
| 2009 | 7,549 metric tons | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 8,058 metric tons | +6.7% |
| 2011 | 11,912 metric tons | +47.8% |
| 2012 | 8,840 metric tons | -25.8% |
| 2013 | 30,881 metric tons | +249.3% |
| 2014 | 34,220 metric tons | +10.8% |
| 2015 | 36,038 metric tons | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 30,974 metric tons | -14.1% |
| 2017 | 28,756 metric tons | -7.2% |
| 2018 | 30,922 metric tons | +7.5% |
| 2019 | 34,088 metric tons | +10.2% |
| 2020 | 42,119 metric tons | +23.6% |
| 2021 | 50,977 metric tons | +21.0% |
| 2022 | 59,080 metric tons | +15.9% |
| 2023 | 60,888 metric tons | +3.1% |
| 2024 | 56,118 metric tons | -7.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 56,118 metric tons is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5,803 metric tons, 9.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 56,118 metric tons is below the median for South Asia, which is 79,261 metric tons, 71% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | +600.0% | 40 metric tons | 280 metric tons |
| 2013 | +249.3% | 8,840 metric tons | 30,881 metric tons |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 metric tons | 0 metric tons | 0 metric tons | 10 |
| 1970s | 16.6 metric tons | 0 metric tons | 27 metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 291.3 metric tons | 31 metric tons | 730 metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 3,139 metric tons | 1,030 metric tons | 6,570 metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 5,136 metric tons | 2,651 metric tons | 8,233 metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 25,469 metric tons | 8,058 metric tons | 36,038 metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 53,837 metric tons | 42,119 metric tons | 60,888 metric tons | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More reference data data for Sri Lanka
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.316 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1784 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.539 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1604 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9713 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Sri Lanka?
- Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Sri Lanka was 56,118 metric tons in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 60,888 metric tons in 2023.
- What is the lowest seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 metric tons in 1960.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture?
- Sri Lanka ranks 47th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 64.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms including fish, molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants. Capture fishery production is the volume of wild fish catches landed for all commercial, industrial, recreational and subsistence purposes.